


Identity

by shinyumbreon2



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Martial Arts, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 03:53:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 154,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5360075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinyumbreon2/pseuds/shinyumbreon2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vegeta feels like he has lost his purpose since Goku died. All Kat wants to do is be a strong fighter like Goku but fears being caught by her mom. When these two crosses paths, they form a teacher/student relationship in order to fulfill each other's desires. Along the way, true identities and secrets buried for many years are revealed, and bonds no one saw coming are formed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crossing Paths

Kat's eyes blinked as she watched the screen. She knew she was home alone, but even if her mother and grandma were there, she wouldn't have noticed them. What was taking place before her eyes had captured her attention and had sucked her in.

The Cell Games.

It was the only fight that Kat's mother (knowingly) allowed her to watch since the fate of the world was riding on this. She was even invited by her to watch the events with some friends of hers, but she declined. All they would do was cheer for Mr. Satan, anyway. What would that joke of a fighter do? Make Cell laugh so hard he died from lack of oxygen, probably. The nine-year-old girl didn't want to hear cheers of false hope and see faces of crushed dreams. Because she could feel it.

Something, or maybe _someone_ , special would come about. She just knew it.

Though, right now, with Mr. Satan boasting into the camera, her hopes were quickly fading. And then he appeared. A man about 5 feet and a half flew down onto the ground next to the ring. No, really, he _flew down_. Kat could believe it, but was still totally amazed. He had black hair that stood straight up and a Widow's Peak. He wore a blue jumpsuit of sorts, white gloves, white boots, and a white chest plate that was sort of like a tank top (Kat couldn't figure out a better way to describe it). And he had black eyes. Black, cold, serious eyes. He was here to fight, and he wasn't leaving without winning. Kat could just tell. Whoever he was, he made a shiver of fear and excitement run down Kat's spine.

The reporters, meanwhile, couldn't quite grasp what Kat could. Apparently everyone forgot the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd World Martial Arts tournament. Of course, she shouldn't be surprised. Mr. Satan had just boasted that Cell's attacks were only parlor tricks. "Uh, it seems a bizarre looking man has joined us," Jimmy Firecracker, the reporter, stated into his microphone. "Unless my eyes deceive me, it's as if he fell from the sky."

"Eh, just a trick," Mr. Satan decided.

"No, he can fly, you pea-for-brains!" Kat yelled at her TV.

"I don't know what he's doing here," Jimmy mumbled. _He's here to fight, can't you tell?! Oh wait, I forgot who I'm screaming at._ "So...why don't we go up and ask him?" He ran up to the fighter and held out his microphone. "So, who are you and what are you doing here?" he asked, though rather loudly, as if the newcomer was deaf. " _And_ if you've come just to watch, back away from the ring before you get hurt."

 _Punch his face in, punch his face in, PLEASE punch his face in!_ The man didn't do as Kat had hoped, but he did the next best thing. "Get lost, before I shove that mike down your throat," he threatened. Kat couldn't help but smile. Yeah it was cruel, but my God were these people annoying. At least _someone_ agreed with her.

Jimmy, scared, ran and cowered next to Mr. Satan, though Kat snickered, knowing he wouldn't be able to defend anyone against Mystery Man. After dismissing him for a weirdo, the reporter began to stroke Mr. Satan's ego again. Well, until someone else flew down on the opposite side of the first one, stopping Jimmy and sparing Kat. The camera focused on him. He was _tall_. He had a red mohawk and wore a green jacket...body armor...thing, a black jumpsuit, and green and black boots. While the reporters were confused, Cell actually acknowledged him. Kat didn't really know what to make of everything. His light blue eyes gave off nothing, though she assumed he was here to fight as well. And then the camera focused on the sky. Seven dots (two were yellow and the rest white) were coming closer. More people were flying towards the ring. They landed next to the first man.

And that's where Kat saw them.

She couldn't help squealing and jumping for joy.

"It's Goku!" she celebrated. "I'd know that hair anywhere! Though why it's blond is beyond me. And it does look...slightly different." She shook her head. "Doesn't matter! He's here, he's here! And there's Krillin and Yamcha and Tien and even Piccolo! All of the old fighters are back, baby, and they're here to save the world again!" She looked at the seven newcomers. "But I don't know who the man with the purple hair is," she stated. He was wearing the same outfit as the first man, so they at least knew each other. "And...and him..." She blushed. "W-wow."

The seventh fighter was a boy, the only boy among the men, probably only one year older than her. He was wearing an outfit just like Piccolo, and he had blond spiky hair that looked like Goku, so she concluded the boy was his son. And he had green grass eyes that were innocent and yet full of determination. Kat had to admit that he was kind of cute. Then she sighed. _Doesn't matter. I'm never going to meet him, anyway._

Meanwhile, the reporter and Mr. Satan were flustered, wondering what the hell was going on. Cell greeted them. It was clear the monster had been waiting for them, _not_ Mr. Satan. None of them looked amused, and neither did the tall man, who joined them shortly. Krillin, the boy, and the man exchanged some words, though when Goku tried the unfamiliar fighter gave him the cold shoulder. Fazed only slightly, Goku stepped forward. "Alright then," he stated, cracking his knuckles. Kat smiled with glee. Her idol was going to fight right in front of her eyes! It would be live, not recorded by her grandma's video camera like the tournaments he had participated in all those years ago. He began stretching his arms. "I'd think I'd like to take on our friend myself first. Is that okay?"

Kat was about ready to burst. "Is it okay? It's more than okay!" she exclaimed. However, the purple haired teen brought up a good point.

"There's no reason we need to come out blazing, is there?" he asked.

The veteran fighter looked at him, smiling and still stretching. Kat missed his response since she was contemplating what the other fighter said. She snapped out of her thoughts when Mr. Satan yelled something about deciding orders. Jimmy walked up to the group. "Um, pardon me," he said. "Are you fine people, um, taking part in the Cell Games by any chance?"

"That's right," Goku answered with a smile. "Well, not all of us, though," he continued.

Mr. Satan ran up to him, pushing Jimmy out of the way. Kat sighed. "Go ahead, make a fool of yourself," she mumbled. "This can only end so well."

"Enough of your screwing around!" he exclaimed. "This ain't no jungle gym out here! Ya'll got no idea what kind of power you're steppin in to!"

Krillin had the same look on his face as Kat: the are-you-actually-serious face. "Oh, and I guess you're here to tell us all about it," the much better fighter retorted dryly.

The People's Champion stepped back and gasped in shock. Then he began to chuckle. _Ah, crap, nice going, Krillin._ "Now I think I've seen it all," he stated. "Could there-"

Kat tuned him out like she always did. "Boast, boast, boast, that's all he does," she complained. "If you have a statement, stop talking and fight!" The gang of the real participants could only look on in confusion (or annoyance, depending on who it was) as Jimmy chimed in. "And you, can you stop riding him for just five minutes?" She may have only been nine, but she sometimes believed her mind had jumped ahead a few years. Sex jokes and insults didn't fly over her head, no sir.

"Goku," Krillin began when the dick stroking was done, "what do you think? Should we let Mr. Eager step up first?"

"Uh..." his friend replied. "Don't know about that."

Cell, however, seemed to not care, and even said so. Mr. Satan stepped forward. "I'm calling first dibs," he announced. "That's how it's going to be."

Goku didn't like the sound of that. But Krillin stopped him, telling him the egomaniac and his biggest fan weren't going to listen. "I've gotta say _something_ ," he insisted. "Hey! If you want to go first, I won't stop you, but you outta know you'll be crushed."

"And that's one of the many reason I like you, Goku!" Kat exclaimed as Mr. Satan and Jimmy (and presumably the cameraman) looked at him as if he were an alien. "You always have guts!" He had just unintentionally insulted Mr. Satan on _worldwide television_. If that didn't scream guts, Kat didn't know what did. _Well, maybe sticking your hand in a glass cage full of snakes... God, I hate snakes._

Meanwhile, the reporter and the celebrity shrugged. "Are you seeing this?" he whispered to the cameraman. "Go in tight on that doofus over there!" Kat rolled her eyes but expected nothing less. She watched as her idol was mocked for his "stupidity", though Goku didn't even flinch, nor did he seem to care. Kat decided that if Goku chose to ignore such acts, she would as well. No point in talking to brick walls, after all. Krillin was pointing this out, and Goku caved in, though he didn't look pleased. He stuck up his hand, giving the joke the okay to get himself pummeled like a jackass. Things couldn't get more annoying, anyway.

And then she was proven wrong.

Mr. Satan's pupils dropped down from their helicopter, making Kat feel worse than before. More jackasses. They were drawn to humiliation like moths to a light. The young girl had to restrain from turning the TV off, reminding herself that after the comedy routine, the real fun would begin.

She wouldn't miss that for the world.

...

Kat grabbed popcorn. No, really. The fights between Cell and the jokes had bored her so much she decided to treat the **_end of the world_** like a movie. But then the real fighting began. Popcorn was cleanly discarded and both eyes were glued to the screen. She couldn't explain how, but she was able to keep up with the super human speeds Cell and Goku were flying at. Not even the cameraman himself could do that. But she saw every punch, every kick, and it was all the sweeter. And besides, it was nothing new to her. When Goku and Tien had "disappeared" in the 23rd tournament, she was able to keep up, although when she was younger it was a bit tougher and she had to try really hard to do so. Now it took slight effort, and it was exciting. And then, Goku fired the first ki blast of the battle. He used _it_. Yes, _it_ , the Kamehameha, one of the most famous ki attacks in the world...seemingly forgotten by time now. Cell batted it away with ease, but to Kat the blast had looked weak anyway.

Goku was only getting started.

The fighting just went on and on and on, and the young girl was enjoying every single second. There were ki blasts, there was flying, there were punches and kicks and everything she could have hoped for.

Until Goku began to lose, and soon after willingly gave up.

"No," Kat said, slowly standing up. "Goku...Goku never gives up. And...why now? The world needs you, Goku! Who-" And then the veteran fighter elected the boy, who (thanks to her better hearing than most humans) she now knew as Gohan. "But...but how is he...is he really...that strong?" She sat back down. "Oh, I don't understand. But I bet you do, Goku." She stared at her idol, who was smiling. "I trust you. I'll believe in him, too."

At first, it looked like Gohan wasn't doing so well. He was getting knocked around like crazy, yet he kept getting back up effortlessly...and smiling. Was he...holding back? But for what reason? This was the guy who wanted to destroy everything, and he was just standing there doing nothing but getting punched. Then Kat heard his plea. Gohan didn't want to fight; he was still a child, still had innocence and wanted no more violence. Kat saw where he was coming from, but also knew there were times to man up and fight.

This was one of them.

Cell, predictably, refused, and then Gohan explained something Kat didn't quite catch nor understood. The monster then proceeded to beat the ever-living shit out of his opponent, who retaliated with a kick, but only once. Kat guessed Cell was trying to coax him into something. Then the guy with the green jacket jumped behind Cell and grabbed him. He yelled something about self-destructing, making Kat realize this guy was either an android or a cyborg. But when he went to do so, nothing happened. It didn't work, and that gave Cell the chance to blast the man, his body completely gone but his head now near the cowering news team and celebrities.

The spectator screamed and dove behind the couch. "Holy shit, holy _SHIT_!" she hissed. She dared to look again. The robotic head was out of view from the angle the camera was at, so she gulped and crawled back in front of the TV. Cell then created mini blue versions of himself, seven in total, and sent them after the fighters on the sidelines. Gohan begged, pleaded, for Cell to call them off, but he refused. One by one the fighters fell, exhausted and looking like they were knocking at death's door. "Stop," Kat whispered. "Stop, please stop."

Meanwhile, the head of the android (cyborg, whatever) asked Mr. Satan to throw him over to Gohan. At first he was too scared, but the man stroked his ego just a tad. Gathering enough courage he threw the head to the boy, and the android said something to him. The next thing Kat knew, Cell had crushed the head until not even a microchip remained. She looked at the screen in horror, and watched as Gohan let out a mighty scream. The wind around him picked up, and the glow brightened.

And then the screen went to static.

...

Three days had passed since the Cell Games, and Kat walked alone down the sidewalk, not sure of her destination. She just needed air. And time to think. When static had appeared she freaked out and waited for what felt like hours for connection to return. It finally did, only for her to be greeted with the biggest lie ever told.

Mr. Satan declared he had defeated Cell.

For two days everyone celebrated his "victory", while Kat looked on in disgust. Not to mention she had this horrible feeling something went wrong. No matter how much she tried to shake it, this feeling of dread wouldn't go away. "What really happened out there?" she whispered. Kat turned the corner and, because she wasn't watching where she was going, bumped into someone. Startled she fell on her backside. She groaned a little bit at the slight unexpected pain.

"Kid, you should watch where you're going," a gruff voice told her. The sentence was mean but the voice wasn't, sounding more as if he were stating a fact. There was even a very, very, _very_ small hint of concern.

"Yeah, I know," Kat admitted, rubbing her lower back. "I've just been thinking, and I guess I was thinking too hard." A hand reached out. "Oh, thank...you." The last word came out in a squeak as she traced the hand to its owner.

...

"Vegeta, will you stop moping?!" Bulma shouted.

"And will you stop shouting that?!" he snapped back.

"Only when you listen to me!" Vegeta spat. "For the love of God, this is ridiculous! It's been three days!"

"You know I was waiting for the day to fight him!" Vegeta defended. "And then he just decides to leave, and leave me..." He didn't want to say it, but Bulma knew anyway.

"Hopeless? Useless? Feeling empty?"

"Shut up!"

Bulma sighed. "Alright, I think it's time you got some fresh air," she advised. "You've been cooped up in here for too long. Take a nice, long walk, okay?"

Vegeta was about to retort but then sighed as well. "Fine. Whatever." He turned and walked out the door.

The man hadn't been himself ever since the fight with Cell. He had lost his greatest rival, one he wished to pass, and he almost lost his son. At the very least he managed to help in Cell's final downfall, but he was only a distraction. A _distraction_. How did he get reduced to such a role? He sighed again and rubbed his head. He hadn't trained, hadn't eaten much, and hadn't gotten enough sleep.

Yep, Vegeta was definitely not himself.

As he walked he felt someone bump into him. He looked down and saw a girl, no more than nine or ten. She had black hair much like he did that fell a tad bit above her shoulders. It was tied back, except for a good chunk on her left side. A strange image came to mind. He wondered how this girl would look with a clip holding it back. Cute, maybe? She was wearing a white t-shirt that didn't cover her shoulders, and underneath it was a yellow tank top. The girl also had jean shorts and black sneakers. _No matter how long I live here, I will never understand their taste in clothing._ He then realized maybe he should say something. "Kid, you should watch where you're going," he advised.

The girl rubbed her lower back. "Yeah, I know," she admitted. "I've just been thinking, and I guess I was thinking too hard." _As was I. Though I am curious about your thoughts._ He extended his hand. He was living here now; might as well try to be nice. "Oh, thank...you." Vegeta was surprised when that last word came out in a squeak. And he saw shining in her blue eyes was fear, surprise and...

Admiration.

...

It was _him_. _That guy from the tournament_. And like an idiot she ran into him. The meanest looking one of the bunch, and she _ran into him_. She thought she was dead. Yet, the sight of the extended hand made her toss that thought away (albeit only slightly), and she really did find him pretty cool. The way he had threatened Jimmy without so much as batting an eye, not to mention he looked super tough. Her hand reached up to his and grabbed it, shaking violently out of fear and amazement. "Th-th-th-thank you," she whispered as he pulled her up.

"There's no need to be nervous," he said in a matter-of-fact way.

"H-h-h-how can I n-n-n-not be?" Kat replied. "Y-y-y-you helped save us... I w-w-w-wish I had seen you f-f-f-fight. You must be really strong."

The man looked at her, and Kat's face fell. Had she said...something wrong? Then he chuckled. "You're the first to acknowledge that we were the ones to defeat Cell," he began. "Though, in a way, none of us mind. The media...well, I'm sure you've seen the chaos." Kat gave off a tiny smile. "And...I'm really not that strong."

"What?!" Kat exclaimed, snapping out of her strange funk. "You can't tell me you're not! I see it in your eyes; you're a warrior, a fighter, and a strong, skillful one, too!"

"How can one be strong if they can't save lives?"

Kat looked at him. Can't save lives...did someone die in that battle? Was this what she had been feeling? "What...what happened?"

"Wasn't it on TV?"

"Well, after that boy powered up when Cell destroyed the android, the screen went to static. That's why everyone believes Mr. Satan and his impossible claims."

The man chuckled again, in amusement and sadness. "You're different," he said. "Fine. I almost lost my son in that fight."

He had a son? "Wait, was it the guy with the purple hair?" The man in front of her looked too young to have a teenage son.

Apparently he had seen her confusion. "That's a story that doesn't need explaining," he stated. "He at least got out alive. Kaka- I mean, Goku, wasn't so fortunate."

"G-Goku's..." Kat let that sink in. Her idol, the one she had admired and wished to be like after watching the old videos... "Goku's...dead?"

"You seem to respect him quite a bit."

"He's my idol," Kat explained. This man was the second person she had ever told this to, her first being her grandma. "I...I watched him fight in the World Martial Arts Tournaments thanks to my grandma recording them, and...he made me...want to become a fighter..." She looked at the ground, ashamed. "Not that my dream will ever come true. My mother thinks fighting is a waste of time and energy, and even if she did allow it...it looks like my other dream won't come to pass." She felt a hand on her head and looked up. The man was...smirking. Somehow, despite the nasty meaning of said expression, it looked better than that blank one he had been wearing.

"I've fought him before," he informed.

Kat's eyes widened. "R-really?" she asked in wonder. "Did you win?"

"Physically, pretty much. What he really damaged was my pride." He grunted but still had that smirk on his face with a mix between annoyance and amusement. "And then he had to do it again by selflessly sacrificing his life and giving the honor of destroying Cell to his son."

The young girl's advanced mind was piecing something together. "You promised yourself you wouldn't fight anymore, did you?"

"Now how does a nine-year-old figure that?"

"I like to joke that my mind is a few years ahead of my body," Kat stated. "But that's not the point! Goku wouldn't want you to stop doing what you love because he isn't here anymore! You're. A. Fighter! Fighters don't quit! Not until you can't stand anymore!"

The man laughed. "For a human you're feisty."

"H-huh?"

"I'll explain, on one condition."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Become my student."

Kat blinked. "What?"

"Train under me," he said. "I can help you keep it a secret."

"But I also have school!" Kat told him.

"Then we will work around a schedule."

Kat blinked again. "You...you really want to train me?"

"Do you want to learn?"

"More than anything!"

"Then why not? I'll help you with that dream of yours, and I need someone to spar with me." He smirked. "If you really think I shouldn't let go of fighting, then I need someone to fight."

The student nodded. "Um...thank you, sir."

"Vegeta." Kat looked at him. "Call me Vegeta."

She nodded again. "My name's Kat. With a K."

"No, I figured it was like the animal." Kat smiled. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll meet with me." He turned and walked back the way he came, with an eager girl following at his heels.


	2. Here's Where It Starts

"You live _HERE_?!" Kat exclaimed, her jaw wide open.

"Yep."

"This is _the_ richest family in the WORLD, you live in _their_ house, and all you can say is 'Yep'?!"

"Yep." Kat groaned.

She and her recently acquired teacher were standing in front of Capsule Corp., one of the biggest buildings in West City. This was where the Briefs, the creators of the Capsules (or DynoCaps, whatever you like), lived. Kat couldn't believe she was here. In one day she met a strong fighter and teacher, and two of the world's most well known scientists. How was a nobody girl like her this lucky? Kat thought she must have been dreaming. She pinched herself. _Ow! ...Nope, this is all real._ Meanwhile, Vegeta nonchalantly walked up to the door, which opened automatically. He turned to look at Kat.

"Well, are you going to stand there all day or are you going come on inside?" he asked.

Kat blinked and then gulped. "O-oh, right." She ran to meet him and then walked in after him.

The door closed behind them, and Kat's eyes traveled the lobby, impressed by every detail. "Hey Vegeta, you're back," someone said. Kat found the owner: Bulma. There was no mistaking the young scientist. "I thought you'd be out a little longer... Hm?" She walked up to Kat. "And who's this?"

The new student lowered her chin but still kept her eyes on Bulma. "M-my name's Kat," she introduced. "I... Vegeta said he'll train me."

Bulma was surprised. "Of all things, I never expected this," she said. Then she smiled. "Well, whatever. It's nice to meet you, Kat. My name is Bulma."

Kat nodded slowly. "Nice to finally meet you," she stated.

"Ah, a fan," Bulma chuckled. "Thinking of becoming an engineer?"

"Well, no. I mean, I'm interested in your work, but that's not something I would think of doing. Maybe..." Kat thought about it. "Something with music, I think."

"And a fighter on top of that?" the woman questioned.

"You are quite ambitious."

"If you two are done chatting," Vegeta cut in.

Bulma turned to him and huffed. "Must you always be so rude?" she scolded. "So I want to get to know her, big deal. Besides, she's only...nine?"

"That's right," Kat informed.

"Did you stop to think that your training methods might be too much for her to handle?" The young girl was amazed that Bulma, a normal woman, was standing up to an intimidating man like Vegeta without even batting an eye.

Vegeta huffed. "I'll go easier than I usually do," he reasoned.

"And what does that mean? Go from 300 times Earth's gravity to 250?"

Kat's eyes practically popped out of her head. "You do _what_?!" she cried.

The adults looked at her. "It's like wearing weighted clothing," Bulma explained.

"Oh. Like what Goku was wearing in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament?" Kat clarified.

Bulma looked surprised. "Um...yeah," she answered. "But...you're way too young to have seen that tournament."

"My grandma recorded that one, along with the 21st and 22nd, and I've watched them plenty of times," Kat replied. Then she shook her head. "We're getting off topic here. Do you even _realize_ how much you would weigh at 300 G's?! Are you crazy?!"

"Sometimes I wonder that myself," Bulma sighed. "No, don't worry, Kat. Obviously he's alive, so no matter how crazy that number sounds, he can stand it." Then she glared at Vegeta. "But she can't."

"I told you I'll tone it down," Vegeta reiterated. "Calm down, woman."

Once again, Bulma huffed. "Whatever." She turned back to Kat. "Look, if anything gets too difficult, don't hesitate to back out no matter what he says, okay?"

"I'll be fine," Kat assured.

Vegeta smirked. "Guts," he stated. "Good. Come on, we've already wasted enough time." Then he began walking down one of the hallways.

"Yes, sir," Kat replied as she quickly followed him.

"Good luck!" Bulma called after her. Kat quickly looked back, smiled, and waved.

Eventually they stopped in front of a door, and Vegeta opened it with the push of a button. He led Kat inside, and she walked in, inspecting it. The room was big and empty, save for a machine at one end of the room. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the machine.

"The Gravity Machine," Vegeta answered. He walked over to it. "Ready to try it out?"

Kat gulped. "We're...not really going to start at 250 times Earth's gravity, are we?" she inquired nervously.

"For the sake of keeping you alive and not getting an earful, no," he responded, causing her to sigh in relief. "We're going to start at double gravity. Normally I would never go that low, but I'll make an exception just this once." He faced her, and the way he was staring made Kat want to look away out of fear. And yet, she found herself unable to. "If you really want to train, I don't want to hear any complaints; what I say goes. Understood?"

"U-understood," Kat repeated, slightly intimidated by his tone.

"Good." He turned back to the machine and pressed a button. The machine activated, and Kat heard a beep. She suddenly felt a tad heavier but easily stood up straight. Vegeta looked surprised. "So you can stand double times Earth's gravity," he noted.

"I guess," Kat stated as she moved around. There was a little bit of resistance whenever she swung her arm or moved her leg, but not enough to strain her body.

Vegeta was quiet as he watched her move. "Then let's go up to three times," he decided. Kat nodded, and he pressed the button again. The girl once again felt herself getting heavier, and she tried moving again. This time it felt like she was shin deep in mud (the strength of the pull on her, not that the gravity stopped affecting her at that height), but other than that she still had a good range of mobility. "Have you done weighted training before?" Vegeta inquired.

"No, sir," Kat informed. "But I try to have a regular push-up and sit-up routine since they were hard for me when I started P.E in first grade. Do you think that might have something to do with it?"

Her teacher went quiet again. "Perhaps," he finally answered. Though, in the back of his mind, he still found something fishy with this. "Shall we see how you handle four times?" After another nod, Vegeta pressed the button again, and this time Kat almost collapsed, forcing him to bring the gravity back down. "Guess we'll start here," he stated.

Kat stretched herself out, hearing cracks as she did. "Right. So, what are we doing first?"

"You said you had a push-up and sit-up routine, correct?" She gave a curt nod. "How many?"

"25 each, sir."

Vegeta smirked. "Double both of them," he ordered.

"At 3 times Earth's gravity?!" Kat cried.

"What did I tell you before we started?"

The student opened her mouth to protest, and then sighed. "Yes sir," she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Yes sir!" Kat exclaimed and quickly dropped to the floor. She began to move up and down at a steady pace. _Jeez, he's so strict,_ she thought, trying to keep her mind off the soreness that was coursing through her quicker than usual. _But I guess I should have expected that. I mean, he **did** threaten a guy, and he **looks** intimidating. You signed up for this, Kat, so deal with it._ By number 30 her arms felt like jelly, her abdominals felt like they were on fire, and she was pretty sure she was going to collapse. She kept going, though, because she wanted to be here and get stronger. Besides, this was how she felt the first time she did 25 push-ups in a row, and after she pushed through that first time every other time seemed easier and easier.

Granted, she had been doing 25 push-ups at normal gravity. Still, kind of the same thing, right?

As she finished number 48, the idea of flopping onto the ground flashed through her mind. She was about scold herself for thinking of such a thing when Vegeta (coincidentally) did it for her. "Don't you even think of dropping!" he commanded. Too late, Kat thought, but he didn't need to know that. She slowly went down close to the floor and then slowly pushed back up. Thenshe stood back up. She forced herself not to bend over with her hands on her knees and pant quickly, but rather stand up straight and take deep breaths. After a little under half a minute, Vegeta ordered, "On you back."

"But-" His glare cut her off. "Yes sir," she replied as she obeyed. _If my abdominals weren't already on fire, they sure will be by the time I'm done._ And she was right. When she slowly went up for number 50 her core felt like it was an inferno. She stood back up and once again forced herself to stay straight and breathe deeply. "You know," she began after a while, "some experts...believe that sit-ups and crunches...are entirely unnecessary."

"I actually agree to that," Vegeta stated. At that, Kat was about to lunge at him and punch him in the face, but before the idea could come to fruition he continued. "Yet we do them anyway, and I have a theory as to why."

"Then what is it?"

"Endurance," he answered. "To prove to ourselves that, no matter how much our core hurts, we'll push through it anyway." He smirked once more. "Just like you."

Kat really hadn't registered she had just done 50 push-ups and sit-ups at 3 G's, but she had. "Yeah," she agreed. "I guess I did. Huh." She chuckled. "I'm kind of proud of that."

"Pride is a good thing to have. Keep that with you. Now, do you know basic fighting stance?"

 _This is it! What I came here for!_ "I do."

"Show me." She dropped into one, and Vegeta inspected her. "For someone self-taught, not bad," he admitted. "But it's also too wide; you leave yourself too wide open." Kat stayed in her stance as he walked over for closer inspection. "Move your arms closer to your body." She moved them slowly. "Right there." She stopped. "Now move your front leg back just a bit." Once again she moved slowly. "Stop." She did. Then Vegeta moved in front of her. "Better. Of course, eventually you'll learn how to fight without starting from a stance. But we'll use it for now."

"Yes sir," Kat responded.

Vegeta nodded. "Do you know a basic punch?" he asked.

"I do."

Once more, Vegeta told her to demonstrate. Once again, she did as told. Once again, he complimented it for being decent for someone self taught but proceeded to work on ironing it out. After some instruction she punched the air again. "Better," he stated once more. "Next is a basic block."

"Well," Kat said, "I _know_ about it, and I've practiced it, but I really haven't had anyone throw a punch at me."

"So we might be at this one for a while," Vegeta concluded. "Or, you could prove me wrong."

Kat set herself to do the latter.

First she demonstrated a basic block, and her teacher was impressed. But then came the field test. Vegeta told her to brace herself for his punch, and she dropped into a stance. As soon as she did, he acted, giving her little time to block. She quickly moved her arm to stop his, and she did...when his fist was about an inch away from her face. He smirked, to which she grunted. "It's not fair, you didn't give me time to get ready," she grumbled.

"Would an opponent give you time?" he remarked. Kat once again opened her mouth but found herself without a comeback. "You must be ready and alert at all times, understand?" She nodded. "Good. Again."

The two worked on blocking for a while, with Kat getting slightly better as time passed. Although, there was a moment where she impressed both of them. When Vegeta went to attack once more, she saw an opening. Acting on instinct, she kicked. Vegeta noticed it and grabbed her ankle. Surprised and down one leg, Kat's arms went in quick circles and she wobbled back and forth as she tried to regain balance. When she finally had balance (even though Vegeta still had her leg), she glared. "You didn't say you would defend!" she snapped.

"Well, I didn't say I _wouldn't_ , now did I?" he countered.

"You... ARGH!" No one had been able to leave Kat without a counter more times than this man. And for some reason, it made her more agitated than ever. "Alright, fine! Whatever! So you can defend, big deal! I bet I can still land at least one punch!"

Vegeta smirked. "Care to follow up on that?" he challenged.

"Absolutely!" Kat agreed. With that, Vegeta let go of her leg, and immediately Kat sprang for him. But despite his slight bulky build, the man was nimble, easily moving out of the way of her attack. Kat spun around to face where he had landed, and found him standing not too far from her, with his arms crossed, his eyes closed and a... _smile_ on his face?! He even looked relaxed! Kat growled. "Jerk!" she shouted before charging again. But once more, Vegeta swiftly dodged. This time the young girl couldn't control her momentum and almost fell over had she not balanced herself out in time. Then there was laughter from behind her.

"You sure you have yourself under control?" Vegeta laughed.

She spun around to face him, furious. "If you would just sit still for five minutes-"

"You still wouldn't be able to hit me," he interrupted.

Kat growled. "Yes I can!" she declared. Vegeta let out a short chuckle and then leapt so he was right in front of her.

"Prove it," he replied. How she tried, but no matter how fast or frequent she punched and kicked, Vegeta dodged all of them with ease, all the while with a smug look on his face. That, of course, served only to piss Kat off, and he only continued to do so when he suddenly jumped up and hung in the air, said "Time's up", and quickly flew behind her to poke right next to each of her shoulder blades. He didn't use too much power, but he didn't need to, for two reasons: he had hit pressure points and, more importantly...

The intensified gravity had finally taken a toll on the young girl's body.

She collapsed onto the floor, exhausted but enraged. Realizing she probably wouldn't be getting up otherwise, Vegeta went over to the machine and turned the gravity to normal. With the extra weight off her shoulders, Kat stood up - albeit slowly - and did her best to, at the very least, keep her head above her heart. "No..." she breathed out. "Turn...turn it back on. I...I can keep going."

"No, you can't," he countered calmly. "I'll admit, I'm impressed you managed to withstand the gravity for an hour, but your body obviously can't handle anymore. I believe we're done for the day."

"But-" A couple of knocks interrupted her.

"Kat, just listen to him!" Bulma called out, muffled because she was behind the door. Then she grunted. "What, did Vegeta teach you how to be stubborn like him, too?"

Said man rolled his eyes. "Come on. Like I said, we're done for the day."

The girl sighed. "Fine," she agreed begrudgingly. She took the lead to the door - which Bulma had opened up - but right before the two exited the room, Kat quickly whipped around and punched Vegeta in the stomach. Caught off guard, Vegeta did let out a small gasp from slight air loss and then looked down at his pupil, who was grinning. "I win," she stated happily and with pride.

Vegeta couldn't help but smirk. "Sure." Then he jabbed a thumb behind him, pointing into the room. "But next time, try to do it while we're still in the middle of training."

"That day will come, you'll see," Kat promised.

"Alright, that's enough," Bulma stated good naturally. "Come on, Kat, I'll take you home."

The girl turned her head to look at the woman. "I appreciate the offer, but my house isn't too terribly far from here," she replied. "I can walk just fine."

"No arguing," Bulma told her. "I'm taking you home."

Kat sighed and began to walk towards her. "That's right," Vegeta agreed. "Especially since your legs seem to be unable to support you any longer." With that, he suddenly tripped her, which sent her crashing to the floor. She picked herself up so she was on his knees, and she spun her head around so she was glaring at him once more.

"Jerk!" she shouted again. "That was unfair and uncalled for!"

Vegeta just smirked, which Kat was starting to believe was his default expression. "Didn't I say to always be on alert?" he taunted, although he was correct, which didn't help Kat's anger. "Besides, I'm returning the punch you gave me. We're even."

"Yeah, well let's see how you like it when I punch your face in- wh-whoa!" In the process of trying to stand up and carry out her threat, her legs became wobbly, finally registering the intense session. She fell backwards, right into Bulma's waiting arms.

"And that just proves my point," the woman voiced. "So, I'm driving you, and that's final."

" _Fine_ ," Kat huffed in annoyance.

Bulma gave Vegeta an annoyed look. "This is also confirming my belief that you were teaching her to be stubborn as well," she grumbled.

He only chuckled. "If you're that concerned, just tell her she can't be here anymore," he suggested, but one could not miss the sarcastic undertone.

Still, the comment got Kat fired up again. "Don't you dare!" she demanded. "And you! Just because you're stronger than me now, don't even think for a _second_ that's going to scare me away!"

Now he laughed. "Feisty, just like I said," he noted.

Kat then remembered something he had said when they agreed to this. "Um...what did you mean when you said 'for a human'?" she inquired.

Suddenly Vegeta didn't look as assumed as he had been before. He just looked blank...or, was it serious? Whatever expression it was, Kat registered it as something that would be discussed later. "Maybe another day," he stated, confirming her suspicions. "You should get home. Your mother is probably getting worried." If Vegeta hadn't turned to walk in the other direction, if Bulma hadn't watched him go, they would have noticed Kat's eyes go down and a look of melancholy grace her face. _Mom, worry about me,_ she thought. _Sure. Whatever you say._

"Alright, let's go," Bulma said, making Kat snap back to a much more neutral face. The young girl nodded, and with Bulma's help, she was led to a car. She strapped herself into the passenger's seat, and Bulma started up the car before taking off. "Where am I taking you, young lady?" she asked.

"Kinto Street," Kat answered.

"That's right in between the elementary and middle schools, right?"

Kat nodded. "This is my last year in elementary, then I'll go to Sunset Middle, and then Senior High, I guess."

"You know, that's pretty far from where you live," the inventor pointed out.

"Yeah, but Mom said she's most likely going to get me a bike," Kat replied, "or maybe all of this training with Vegeta will get me to run faster." Then she thought. "That, or he can teach me to fly."

Bulma gave off a slight chuckle as she smiled. "He most likely will," she commented. She rounded the corner and had to come to a sudden stop. "Aw man, I forgot it was rush hour," she whined. Kat groaned at the cars all bumper-to-bumper. "Well, since we have nothing better to do, how about some music?" Bulma smiled again. "At least we can be less bored that way." She turned on the radio.

But what came out of the speakers wasn't music.

Kat let out something between a grunt and a groan - both completely filled with annoyance - as Mr. Satan's usual boasting blared in her ears. With the knowledge that Goku had sacrificed his life in order to save the world, it made Mr. Satan's claims all the more insulting and annoying. Bulma, noticing the girl's annoyance, sighed and switched to a CD she had in the player. "Vegeta told you, huh?" she stated.

"I already hated Mr. Satan, so that fact only makes it worse," she grumbled a reply. "Whatever, let him live out his fantasy. One day, he'll get his comeupins."

"Right," Bulma agreed. There was silence as they let the music play. Traffic moved slowly, and after many minutes Bulma spoke up again. "So, what does your mom do?"

"She's a businesswoman," Kat answered.

"What company?"

"Don't know, don't care."

Bulma gave her a curious look. "Don't care?" she repeated.

"Mom could care less about what I do," Kat explained. "The only two things I'm absolutely forbidden to do are drop out of school and learn martial arts. Other than that, I'm just something that takes up space. So if she doesn't give a crap about me, why should I about her?"

The woman looked at Kat and then back at the road. "What about your father?" she asked.

"Don't have one. Mom said he left us when I was little or something like that. She doesn't talk about him a lot - if at all - and even Gran Gran won't say anything about him."

"Please tell me your grandmother cares for you," Bulma sighed, sounding desperate.

"Absolutely!" Kat revealed, sounding and looking much brighter. "She's one of the sweetest women you'll ever meet, and she really cares for me. She actually wants me to pursue what I desire, which is why she secretly gave me the tapes of the World Martial Arts Tournaments. She figured it would be something I would like." Kat smirked. "It is."

Bulma laughed. "So I noticed," she stated. Then she noticed something outside Kat's window, and she looked on, confused. Kat was confused by her confusion, so she turned her head to look out the window, and a huge grin grew on her face.

"Mitsumi!" she cried.

"Friend of yours?" Bulma questioned, looking at the small girl with milk chocolate skin, freckles, long brown hair, and green eyes covered by glasses staring in wonder at the car.

"Yeah, my best friend!" Kat exclaimed. Then she looked back at Bulma. "Oo, Bulma, is it okay if she comes into the car? She lives right next door to me."

The woman giggled. "Sure, why not?" She unlocked the car doors, and Kat motioned her friend to come on over. After checking to make sure the far right lane was completely stopped, the small girl ran over, opened the door, and hopped inside. The door closed, and Bulma locked the vehicle back up. Then she looked back at the girl staring at her. She smiled. "Guess I've got two fans in my car now," she noted.

"Mitsumi is totally into inventions," Kat explained. "She's a total geek about that stuff."

The small jab snapped the girl out of her wonderment. "Geek?!" she repeated. "I'm not a geek!"

Kat laughed. "Stop making it easy to touch nerves," she advised.

"Whatever," Mitsumi grumbled as she folded her arms and puffed up her cheeks. Then the annoyance melted away as she eyed her best friend, Bulma, and then Kat again. "So...why are we in _the_ Bulma Briefs' car?" she inquired, a hint of wonderment in her voice.

Again, Kat laughed. "I would tell you right now, but I want Yuki to hear this, too," she replied.

"Another friend?"

The black haired girl looked at Bulma and nodded. "He's a cocky, critical guy, but nice too," she stated. Then she snickered. "And Mitsumi here has a crush on him."

A blush appeared on Mitsumi's face. "N-no I don't!" she denied and looking out the window, embarrassed. This time, Bulma joined in Kat's laughter. "Sh-shut up! You're a terrible best friend!"

"Love you, too!" Kat responded happily.

Mitsumi rolled her eyes. "So, you like inventions, huh?" Bulma asked.

That snapped her to attention. "Yes Ms. Briefs!" she announced.

Bulma shook her finger. "Bulma will do just fine," she informed.

"R-right." Then Mitsumi twiddled her thumbs. "I do. I really want to be an inventor when I grow up." The she dug through the beige one shoulder bag and pulled out a small camera. "I just finished tinkering with this camera the other day."

"You made it?" Bulma questioned, sounding impressed.

"I wish," Mitsumi revealed. "All I did was fix it."

"She might as well have made it, though," Kat added. "The thing was practically unusable."

The driver whistled. "Impressive," she complimented. Mitsumi blushed again, this time with a smile present. "It's a good start, too. Tinker and fix things before you actually make things." The young girl in the sky blue turtle neck t-shirt nodded. Finally, Bulma reached the corner of Kinto Street, so the rush hour traffic no longer mattered. She quickly rounded the corner and sped off down the street. "Alright, Kat, show me which one."

Her eyes scanned the familiar street. "Four houses down," she stated. She pointed. "See? It's the only one with a second floor balcony."

"Well that makes it easy to remember," Bulma noted.

"It's also a great place to sleep during the summer," Kat said.

"Oh, that's your room?"

"Probably the only nice thing her mom has done besides giving a roof over her head," Mitsumi grumbled, obviously as annoyed at Kat's mother as Kat was, which made Bulma sigh. She pulled up in front of the two-story dome house and stopped. The doors unlocked once more, and Mitsumi got out, straightening out her red skirt and then bowing in respect. "Thank you for the ride, Bulma." She held up her fixed camera. "Oh and, this might sound weird, but can I take a picture? I like to take pictures, too."

Bulma smiled. "Of course," she answered. She gave off a smirk. "You'd make a great Capsule Corp employee one day."

Mitsumi blushed again, quickly took the picture of a smug-looking Bulma in the driver's seat, and bowed again. "B-bye, Bulma." Then she looked at her best friend, which seemed to calm her down slightly. "And see you at school tomorrow." Kat grinned and waved before Mitsumi took off. When she disappeared into the dome house next door, Bulma turned to her remaining passenger.

"Think you can make it to the front door on your own?" she asked. Kat rolled her eyes. "It's a legitimate question."

"I'll be fine," Kat assured. "My legs have had time to relax, and after a nice hot shower, they'll be even better."

"If you say so," the woman sighed. "I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd say you and Vegeta knew each other before today."

The girl smiled. "Come on, Bulma, give me some credit," she countered. "I'm no where near as cruel."

That made Bulma laugh. "You're definitely more easy going," she added. "You have _no_ idea how long it took me to get him out of the house this morning so he could stop moping around."

"To be fair," Kat began as she opened the door and took off her seatbelt, "Gran Gran was going to kick me out of the house if I didn't do it to myself."

"Good girl," Bulma complimented. "Now go take that shower, and I'm sure I'll be seeing you more in the future."

"I hope so," Kat stated before stepping out. She winced a tad, but she shook her head when Bulma asked if she needed help. So with a wave, Bulma took off and Kat walked up to the front door. She twisted the doorknob and opened it up. "Gran Gran!" she called out. "I'm home!" She closed the door, but that was the only sound that filled the house. "Gran Gran? Are you here?" Then, from somewhere in the living room, she heard shuffling. The girl smiled. "Gran Gran!" She met her grandmother halfway and gave her a big hug.

The elderly woman laughed. "Hello, my dear," she greeted. Kat stepped back to look at her grandmother. At age 67, Natane was definitely showing her age. It was getting harder to walk because her legs didn't work as well as they use to, and her short once black hair was completely gray, almost white. Her face was wrinkled and she looked brittle. But the short woman was not defeated. Her yellow eyes shown brilliantly with life, and while she was usually calm, she could easily be sassy and spunky. Physically she had little spark, but she had one verbally, without a doubt. "Have you calmed down a bit?"

"To a good degree," Kat informed before heading to the kitchen. Besides needing a shower, she was also in desperate need of food. "Where's Mom?" she asked as she searched the fridge.

"At work still," Natane replied.

Kat rolled her eyes. "As usual," she muttered. "Workaholic." She pulled out a mango smoothie from the day before and a small bag of sliced apples. With her foot, she closed the door and then plopped onto the couch in the living room.

"Where did you go?" Natane inquired.

Her granddaughter, halfway through an apple slice, looked at her and smiled. "Well..." She then proceeded to tell her about everything that had happened since she had left about two hours before.

Natane blinked. "Kat, are you sure about this?"

"I've never been more sure about anything," Kat answered honestly.

The woman was silent, and then she gave off a warm smile. "I'm sure you'll do great, dear," she said.

Kat grinned, an apple half eaten in her mouth. "Thanks, Gran Gran!"

...

"Wait, wait, you woke up at 7 _without_ feeling tired?!" Mitsumi exclaimed.

"Yep."

"The guy who trained you was that mean-looking guy?!" Yuki added, his teal eyes wide.

"Yep."

"And all you can say is 'Yep'?!" they cried.

"Yep." They groaned. Kat straightened her orange jacket and adjusted her orange and black baseball cap. "Trust me, I was surprised, too. I thought he was going to punch me in the face for bumping into him. And to be fair, I'm still a little sore."

Mitsumi adjusted her black reading glasses. "Kat, you trained at 3 times Earth's normal gravity," she reminded.

Kat nodded. "It actually felt good," she stated.

Yuki sighed and ran a hand through his short light green hair. "Mitsumi, it's official, our best friend is beyond crazy and beyond saving," he said.

"Oh shut up, Grasshead," Kat grumbled, nudging Yuki a bit. He laughed, and then the bell rang. "Well, guess school's starting."

"The first day since before the Cell Games," Mitsumi pointed out. Then she sighed. "And another long, boring day with Ms. Kyoko."

"Race ya!" Yuki announced, trying to lighten the brown haired girl's mood, and a little competition would do just that. He took off, with Mitsumi right behind him and Kat following, only for her legs to buckle. Her two friends turned to find her collapsed on the ground. "...On second thought, let's give your legs a rest."

"Vegeta, I will kick your ass," she muttered before picking herself up and leading her friends into the building.

Another day at Tanton Elementary, and perhaps it wasn't going to be as boring as the three thought.


	3. So Much Trouble

"...and so after they ended his rule in Age 712, the people of Gingertown decided to switch to a more democratic rule for their mayors," Ms. Kyoko rambled on. Of course, no one was listening, especially Kat. Okay, not really, she was. The girl liked History, she really did. But the dark blue haired woman just made it oh so boring. So much so that even the kiss ups of the class had a hard time staying awake. But while Kat was semi-listening, she was thinking more about recent events. She remembered how Gingertown had been the first place Cell attacked. _I wonder how all of those people disappeared,_ she thought. _Vegeta might know. Come to think of it...there's something else he needed to tell me. It was...argh, what was it? Something about...being feisty, I think..._ She let the word "feisty" roll around in her brain, but then the bell for recess interrupted her thoughts, and she got up from her seat to go outside with a sigh.

"Finally!" Yuki exclaimed as they reached the playground. He stretched. "Man, it felt like she was going to ramble on for centuries! And apparently middle school is supposed to be _worse_!"

"At least you looked entertained, Kat," Mitsumi observed.

Kat looked at her, who appeared upside down since the black haired girl was hanging from the lowest pull-up bar. "Was just thinking of things," she said nonchalantly, shrugging.

"About what?" the other girl asked.

"Yeah, fill us in on what was swimming in that head of yours!" Yuki added.

Their friend swung up so that she was sitting on the horizontal pole and then flipped around. "About how Gingertown was Cell's first target," she explained. "I wanted to ask Vegeta how he made everyone disappear from their clothes like that."

"That was pretty weird," Yuki voiced. "Anything else?"

"Something Vegeta said yesterday...something about being feisty, I think..." She hummed on the thought and once again let the word soak into her brain. Then her head shot up as she gasped. "That's right! He said I was feisty for a human!"

Her friends blinked. "For a human?" they repeated. Then they gasped as well.

"Kat, what if Vegeta's an alien?!" Mitsumi cried.

The girl huffed and hopped off the pole. "That's ridiculous, he definitely looked human," Kat countered. "Maybe he knows aliens. I mean, Piccolo is green, so he's probably an alien."

"But you said he trained at 300 G's!" Yuki pointed out.

"So? Goku wore 250 pounds," the black haired girl replied.

"He also had a monkey tail," Mitsumi stated.

"And? Some humans have weird deformities."

"Then...was Goku a monkey man? Like how there's a Man-Wolf?"

Kat opened her mouth and then closed it as she thought about Mitsumi's point. "Uh...maybe?"

"Maybe Vegeta's a Man-Snake!" Yuki declared, grinning evilly.

She went white, trying not to think of a snake-like man. "O-or maybe he's a Man- _Shark_!" she retorted, turning the tables.

Now Yuki went white. "Uh uh, we _don't_ need any Man-Sharks," he decided.

His friend folded her arms. "We also don't need any Man-Snakes," she added with a glare. Mitsumi sighed, and then there were cries of excitement. The three looked towards the entrance of the school, where everyone seemed to be looking out into the street with stars in their eyes. "What's going on there?"

"Do you want to check it out?" Mitsumi asked.

"I'm actually kind of afraid to find out what everyone's so excited about," Yuki said.

The girls looked at him, confused, until they looked back and saw what...or better, _who_ everyone was so excited about. "Great," all three of them grumbled.

Mr. Satan, proving to be a damper for the three of them as expected. He cheered as usual, and like the sheep they were everyone else copied. He explained he was on a tour of sorts, not that Kat cared. She just rolled her eyes. "Man, he's so annoying," she mumbled. "I wish I could make him feel annoyed." Suddenly, she had an idea, and it showed on her face.

Her friends caught it. "Kat...what are you thinking?" Yuki inquired nervously.

"Whatever it is, it's going to get you sent to the principal's office," Mitsumi warned.

That only made Kat want to go through with it more. "Since when has that ever scared me?" she replied, setting her backpack down. Her friends sighed as she pulled out her MP3 player and a portable speaker and took off her orange jacket to put it in.

"Kat..." Mitsumi sighed.

"Should I do 'Harlem Shake' or 'Trip Through Sequin Land'?"

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," Yuki whispered to the brown haired girl. To Kat, he replied, "Make it so that it's not ear grating."

She smiled wickedly. "Point taken," she responded. She turned the speaker up to the highest volume and was ready to click play on the song. The other two distanced themselves, as if to say they had no part in this, though Kat didn't mind. She was a troublemaker, but she wasn't inconsiderate to her friends. When they were at a good distance, she hit the button, and soon "Trip Through Sequin Land" was heard throughout the entire yard.

Kat was a good dancer; there was no denying her talents. Well, if you were anyone other than all of the people who went to school with her. The black haired girl was unpopular for multiple reasons, so anything she did got people to either laugh at her or be annoyed. And this time she knew it would annoy. Though she never did care; everyone single one of these kids were annoying to her, especially her classmates. She could understand why the underclassmen would hate her, but the sixth graders hated her since the first day in kindergarten, and only Hell knew why. So Kat did everything in her power to get under their skin. The days that failed were filled with laughter; days with success were days like today, where all eyes were on her in anger and annoyance.

"Seriously, Freak, stop it," Shigeru, the leader of the annoyances, growled. Everyone gave their agreement, but Kat just smiled innocently. That only made them more pissed, which only made Kat's enjoyment grow, to the point where it finally reached breaking point. Coincidentally, at the time their patients ended, so did the song. "Get her!" the spiky haired boy ordered.

"RUN, RUN, ROTTYTOPS!" her friends suddenly shouted.

In another fit of coincidence, that very song happened to play.

Boy did the bouncy, chaotic nature fit the scene so well. As the entire school tried to chase Kat as she swung from every piece of playground equipment and even in the few trees in the yard, everything was timed with the music to the point where from the outside it might have looked like an act. But that definitely wasn't the case, yet everything fit so perfectly, right down to everyone hitting the wall just as Kat sidestepped out of the way at the first cymbal crash. The display of strangely perfect comedic timing finally ended, once again, at the end of the song, right when a voice yelled, "KAAAAAT!"

The entire school stopped, and the young girl smirked. "Ah, top o' the mornin', old chap!" she greeted her principal.

Mr. Hitoshi let out a long, exhausted sigh. "May I ask why you are being disrespectful while Mr. Satan is on the premises?" he questioned.

Kat smirked wider. "Oh, sorry, it's just I've never been entertained by clowns," she insulted nonchalantly.

Everyone gave out an offended gasp, and the gray haired man angrily pointed towards the school. "My office. Now!"

Of course, Kat didn't even flinch. She just chuckled and looked back at the angry group. "If you'll excuse me, everyone, it's time for my daily appointment," she said before laughing, picking up her backpack and electronics, and leading the way to the office. It was on the other side of the school, and to get there it was almost a maze of hallways, but Kat could get there from any point in school blindfolded. In fact, she did that once and didn't take any wrong turns or run into anything.

She was the king and queen of troublemakers, that was unanimous.

The two finally made their way to the staff offices, and Mr. Hitoshi (who Kat had allowed to take the lead) opened the door. The two secretaries lifted their heads only to go back to whatever they were working on when they noticed it was only Kat. "Looks like I'm getting the cold shoulder today," the girl remarked. They frowned but didn't react otherwise. Still, the frown was enough for Kat, and she smirked. Mr. Hitoshi opened the door to his office and Kat plopped down in her usual chair closest to the window, looking completely relaxed. The principal closed the door, sat behind his desk, and rubbed his temples.

"Kat...I don't know what to do with you," he sighed.

"So what you're telling me is this meeting is pointless," Kat replied. "Good to know."

He sighed again. "I don't know how to get through to you, Kat. Nothing I have tried over the years has worked." He folded his hands together. "So...what do you propose we do?"

"What?" she gasped in surprise mockingly. "You want me to decide my own fate? But my good man, how do you think this will solve the problem?" She stopped talking softly and formally, and snickered. "I could say 'give me detention' and I still won't show up. Or if I do, it'll only be for the last ten, fifteen minutes."

"However, you would be disobeying yourself," Mr. Hitoshi reasoned. Kat chuckled.

"On the contrary, my dear Watson," she argued. "You ordered me to give my own punishment, so by extension you're still giving the order. Therefore, we're back to square one, as we have always been - thanks to me being falsely accused - and always will be."

"You were not falsely accused!" Mr. Hitoshi snapped, losing his temper.

But Kat was as calm and relaxed as she had been. "Really?" She snorted and tipped her cap. Then she slowly got out of her chair, clearly challenging the old man to protest. He never did; the girl's nonchalant attitude intimidated him. "Now if you don't mind-" The door suddenly flung open, and their heads turned to the intruder. Kat's eyes widened. _No...no way._

"You will sit back down!" Vegeta ordered.

For a while, she didn't due to surprise. "V... Vegeta-"

"Kat, _NOW_!" he barked.

"Y-yes sir!" And she promptly sat back down.

The secretaries and principal were stunned. No one had ever gotten Kat to listen, not even her own mother. "Who...who are you?" Mr. Hitoshi inquired.

Vegeta looked at him. "A guardian," he answered. He then looked at Kat, who was looking at her lap and was stiff as a board. "May I join in on this?"

"O-of course!" Mr. Hitoshi agreed. "Close the door and, please, take a seat."

He closed the door. "I like to stand," he replied. The principal nodded his approval, and Vegeta leaned against the wall, right behind Kat. The girl could feel his black eyes pierce the back of her neck, and she felt the goosebumps rise. "So, why is she here?" he inquired, and Kat began to twiddle her thumbs.

"Disrespectful behavior, as usual," the old man informed, adjusting his glasses and looking in control for once.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He sounded intrigued, but Kat could also hear the anger.

"Apparently she felt the need to play very loud music while Mr. Satan was giving a speech."

Kat snapped out of her funk and her eye twitched. "That's not-"

"Kat, not another word!" Vegeta shouted.

"Sorry, sir!" she squeaked and went back to her position. _Guess I was wrong about him, she thought in sadness and anger. He's just another adult who won't listen to my side of the story._

Meanwhile, Mr. Hitoshi was smiling. "Of course, she demonstrates disrespectfulness when she talks to Ms. Kyoko - her teacher - and me," he added, feeling triumphant.

Vegeta looked at the principal and then at Kat. He walked to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder. For a while he said nothing and looked blankly at the girl - which was making her nervous - but then he looked at the principal with smirk. "Perhaps it's because you never let her talk," he stated.

Mr. Hitoshi looked taken aback, and Kat's head snapped to look at him in surprise. "What?!" the old man exclaimed. Vegeta ignored him and met his pupil's lapis lazuli eyes.

"Talk," he told her. "Tell us what happened."

Kat blinked. "Nonsense, she'll tell lies!" Mr. Hitoshi lied.

"How will we know unless she talks?" Vegeta pointed out. "Talk. But be calm about it."

The girl looked at him, surprised. It took a while for her to realize she had the floor. "Um...right." She looked at her lap again, thinking of how to begin. "Well..." She looked at the old man. "I don't like Mr. Satan; that's no secret. I hate what he stands for and I hate his attitude. He annoys me, as do his fans, so I figured I would annoy them. All of that I won't deny." She wanted to raise her voice for the next part, but she forced herself to stay calm. "But I didn't play my music until he was signing autographs, when he wasn't talking, because no matter how disrespectful you think I am, I have standards."

Her principal blinked and then went to clean his glasses. "Well, we heard your side, but I have a hard time believing you," he stated simply.

"But I can," Vegeta replied, "because unlike you, I saw the whole thing."

He almost dropped his glasses. "What?!"

"You did?" Kat squeaked, embarrassed.

Vegeta nodded. "I was walking by, and your talk about Snake Men got me curious," he said, smirking.

"It was a Man-Snake!" she shouted.

There was laughter from him. But it quickly died when he looked at the older male. "Your jump to your conclusion makes me believe you've always been against her, never once seeing what actually happened," he accused calmly.

"S-sir, I-"

"I am not saying her behavior is acceptable," Vegeta interrupted, giving him a glare that said he had the floor. "All I'm wondering is why you want to make her a mindless, quiet student." His glare became harsher. "Let me guess: you allowed me to stay because you believed that because I'm the only person to ever make her flinch I would be able to help you achieve that goal." He slammed his hand on the desk, making the principal jump. "I would never help a goal like that, because I know what it's like to almost become a mindless dog." Mr. Hitoshi stared at him, his eyes wide. Then Vegeta smirked and looked back at Kat. "But like I said, this behavior isn't acceptable, so perhaps I'll work on it with her." He looked back at the older man. "What's usually the punishment for an incident like this?"

Not expecting to have the floor, Mr. Hitoshi didn't say anything for a couple of moments. "O-oh! Um...yes!" He cleared his throat. "Well, I've actually...never been sure on what punishment to give her because of how frequent she's in here. Though, if it were any other student...an hour session after school with me or my secretaries doing menial tasks. The best day for us this week would be Friday."

"Then I suggest that," Vegeta stated.

Kat gulped. Friday was not a good day, and not for the typical student response of it being the beginning of the weekend. "But what about training?" she piped up, hoping that would change Vegeta's mind.

He just eyed her and chuckled. "We'll just add an hour to another day," he reasoned. He smirked evilly. "And I promise that hour will be the toughest thing you have ever faced." Kat gulped again and nodded. "Now, you will show up Friday, understood?"

"Understood, sir," she replied, and only Vegeta caught the slight deadpan. He nodded in approval anyway. "Is there anything else?" Vegeta asked the principal.

Mr. Hitoshi shook his head. "Kat, you're free to go," he said. Without a word, Kat picked up her backpack and followed Vegeta, who had already opened the door and was getting the most peculiar stares from the secretaries. "Oh, and Kat." She stopped and turned her head. "Don't take this man for granted."

The student slowly nodded and then followed Vegeta out into the hallway, where he let her take the lead. They walked on for a little while in silence. "What's so bad about Friday?" Vegeta suddenly questioned.

Her shoulders slumped. "Oh, you caught that," she stated, completely deadpan this time. "That's the one day my mom is actually home before I am."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "From what Bulma told me, I'd figure you'd rather not see her," he pointed out.

"That's true," she agreed. "But on Fridays she always takes me somewhere. I don't know why. It's like she wants mother-daughter time. Maybe she wants to act like we're a happy family, though I don't know who she's performing for."

He stared at her slumped form. "Can you tell her where you're going to be before then?"

"Thursday morning...when she's extremely grumpy and completely out of it."

"Oh." There was silence. "Sounds like quite the predicament," he noted.

She nodded. "Sometimes I think life just hates me," she said in melancholy.

The man chuckled. "Does that include that falsely accused thing you were talking about?" he inquired.

"You heard that, too?" she asked, whipping her head around in surprise. He nodded and gave her a look that told her to explain. She sighed and looked back down the hallway. She had never noticed how big her school actually was, but right now it seemed to go on for an eternity. "It was the third day of my first year here. Mom hadn't packed enough for lunch, so when I was done I was still hungry, and neither of my friends had any leftovers. So I went up to this guy, Shigeru, because it looked like he had extra. I asked politely if he could give me some of his leftovers, but he said no and was extremely rude about it. So I tried again, but he refused again, louder and more obnoxious. He made a scene, and finally Ms. Kyoko came over. She asked what was going on, and Shigeru told her I had been trying to steal his lunch. Rather than let me tell my side of the story, Ms. Kyoko sent me to the principal's office for disruptive behavior where he didn't let me explain either and sent me off with a warning."

Vegeta didn't say anything for a while, and once again Kat assumed he believed everyone but her. "This was before you made a name for yourself," he suddenly declared.

This time when Kat turned her head, she stopped, and he stopped as well. "Y-yeah," she confirmed.

"Which means you were brought in on someone else's word rather than your own reputation." Kat nodded. "Perhaps your mother said something about you."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Kat grumbled.

"Do you think there might be a reason for that?"

"If it were disobedience, maybe, though when I was younger it was more rare for me to be disobedient. But I was never disruptive at home; I could literally be as quiet as a mouse."

"So you're telling me your mother is against you."

"Aren't you observant."

At such a comment during this kind of conversation the adult would feel insulted, but Vegeta just laughed. "Life sucks, huh?"

Kat finally smiled. "Yeah." She adjusted her hat. "I guess I'd better get to class."

"You're not going to cause any more trouble, right?" It sounded like a question, but Kat could tell it was an order.

"No trouble, sir," she promised. He nodded. "And don't think you can lie," he told her. Then Vegeta smirked. "I'll be able to tell."

She could believe he would be able to do that, so she told herself to not dare push her luck. "Yes sir." He nodded again and began to walk to the entrance. "Wait, Vegeta!" He stopped and looked at her. "Thank you."

Vegeta stared, and then his smirk came back. "Perhaps later today you can tell me exactly why," he stated before he walked out the front doors.

The girl couldn't tell if he was serious or not. Though perhaps he was serious, and Kat couldn't blame him.

How would he know he was the only person to ever be on her side and be heard at the same time?

...

The class was trying to decide if the Kat in the room was a fake or not. _There is **no way** this is her,_ they thought, dumbfounded. When she walked in she didn't look triumphant, but she didn't look defeated like everyone figured she would be when she didn't look triumphant; she actually looked content. When Shigeru made a snarky comment as she walked to her desk she didn't even change her expression and actually _ignored_ him. When Ms. Kyoko was about to make a comment about her hat, Kat removed it on her own without so much as even the tiniest bit of smartassness. She was actually a good student, but at the same time she wasn't a doll.

Things continued to be weird at lunch. Not once did her usual antics shine through, and that got attention. So much attention that a kindergartener almost fell off the platform for the firefighter pole, but Kat _of all people_ caught the small girl by placing a hand on her back and pushing her back up. When the girl looked back at the sixth grader, she smiled. "I've fallen off the platform before," she told her. "Not fun."

The smaller girl stared at her, and then she turned around and sat on the edge of the platform. "Did it hurt?" she asked.

Kat grinned as she tapped the back of her head. "Like you wouldn't believe," she answered. "I also fell on my face once."

"What happened?" another kindergartener wondered, taking a place next to the redhead.

"Busted my lip," Kat explained to the boy.

"Did you have to get stitches?" another boy questioned. At this point, there were five students looking at Kat.

The older girl nodded. "I couldn't get my face painted when we went to the carnival," she stated. The six and growing crowd of kindergarteners gasped. "It was going to be a tiger."

"What else have you done?"

"Scraped my knee...both of them, about as many times as I've been to the office."

There were multiple "whoas" from the small audience. "What about your elbows?"

"Not as many times as my knees."

Another chorus of "whoas" rang through the air before something else did. "Hey, Freak!" She turned to Shigeru. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Telling stories," Kat answered simply.

He scowled. "You mean corrupting," the spiky haired boy growled. "This isn't you."

"Well, someone told me to behave, and I'm listening to him," Kat replied.

All eyes were wide and the yard was silent. Then it suddenly exploded with noise, everyone trying to figure out who could give Kat an order that she actually followed. "It had to be one of those guys who can use hypnotism!" a first grader declared.

"Those are magicians, and we would have seen one walking around school," his friend snapped.

"A ninja did it!" some second graders cried.

A sixth grader scoffed. "Only God Himself could have changed her so quickly," she snorted.

"Just like that?" her fourth grade brother asked.

While the schoolyard filled with the weird and out-there answers, Mitsumi and Yuki simply approached the girl in question. "So, what's the real answer?" the green haired boy whispered.

"Vegeta," Kat answered simply.

At first, their responses were wide eyes. That quickly faded, replaced with smiles and chuckles. "Should have figured," Mitsumi stated. "You clearly look up to him already based off your explanation this morning." Kat beamed.

"But how did he slip in undetected?" Yuki wondered.

"He is a pretty quite guy," Kat told them.

"A body builder being sneaky..." the boy mused.

"He's actually pretty lean and nimble," Kat informed.

Mitsumi smiled a little bigger. "Well, I'm glad you finally found an adult you can trust," she noted.

Kat matched her big smile. "Me too, Mitsumi. Me too."

...

Shigeru thought it would be a good idea to approach Kat Friday morning. For his reward, he got a piercing glare that made it feel like the black haired girl was burning holes into his skull. But instead of fueling the fire like he usually did, he backed down and didn't bother her. In fact, no one did, not even Ms. Kyoko.

Something had shaken her pretty badly, judging by her angry, silent tears.

By the time recess had come around, Kat didn't look in any better shape, so two brave souls figured it would be in their best interest to approach her. Besides, they would never abandon her, not on their lives. "Kat, please tell us what's wrong," Mitsumi urged after everyone else had filed out.

Kat looked up from her lap with a defeated expression. Her eyes were red and puffy and dried up tear lines streaked her face. "Add a point to your 'I told you so' total, Mitsumi," she said, her voice hoarse and almost lifeless. She then lowered her voice as she revealed, "Vegeta's an alien."

The other two children blinked, and after a while of silence Yuki spoke. "So what?" he questioned. "He looks human, just like you said, and Mitsumi and I know this because we saw him Wednesday. What's so bad about him being an alien?"

"Because it's his _species_ that's the problem," Kat answered. She looked back at her lap, ashamed. "I feel like I've been tricked. _Used_ , even."

"Why?" Mitsumi asked.

The black haired girl looked up at her friend once more. "There are many answers to that question," she stated.

XXX

Thursday was off to a bad start since Kat was forced to receive an earful from her mother about the Friday afternoon session with the principal, and the woman sounded like she was drunk throughout the whole speech - which she wasn't - but that meant she would forget the whole thing within the hour. At first Kat walked to school with a negative mood, but it quickly brightened when she remembered her training. She had been going to Capsule Corp for four days now, and while it was definitely difficult she had never felt so amazing. She was getting good nights of sleep and any stress she had would melt away like ice on a hot sidewalk...only for new stress to appear because Vegeta was demanding and sarcastic. It was still less stressful than her normal life, though. So with her head held high she marched through the day, her spirits higher than ever.

Bulma felt she had to jump out of the way when Kat sprinted through Capsule Corp and flung her backpack onto the living room couch like she lived there. The inventor didn't mind, though. "Hold up!" she called after her new frequent visitor. Kat reappeared from around the corner. "You drank enough water today?"

"Yes, Bulma, I'm not that stupid," Kat replied.

The woman smiled. "Just checking," she stated. "I don't want you fainting on us. And I wouldn't get too excited if I were you, just in case today is punishment day."

"I think I'd still be excited even if it was punishment day," Kat countered. "Besides, he'll probably do it on a day when I'm least expecting it. Like, if I were to start forgetting about it or something."

"You're probably right," Bulma laughed.

"Ba, ba!" Trunks suddenly cried out. "Bu, ba, ba!"

Kat smiled at the one-year-old in Bulma's arms. "Good afternoon, Trunks," she greeted. The baby laughed and clapped his hands. "I still can't believe he's yours and _Vegeta's_ child," she told Bulma.

"Sometimes I can't either," the mother agreed.

It turned out Kat was right; today was _not_ the day Vegeta decided to bring out the punishment. So it was just the usual day: 50 push-ups and ( _coughuselesscoughcough_ ) sit-ups, punches, kicks, and blocks, all within an hour at 3 times normal gravity. It could have been Kat's imagination, but it almost seemed like 3 G's was becoming too easy. Time flew by and before either of them knew it Bulma was knocking on the door and yelling at them to not overdo it. Vegeta, as usual, rolled his eyes but agreed. This time, though, when they walked out to the living room they found snacks waiting for them on the coffee table, much to Kat's delight. "Thanks, Bulma!" she exclaimed with five grapes in her mouth as she plopped onto the couch.

"I figured you'd like it," Bulma commented. She was about to pick up some of the small green fruit for herself when she noticed a good quantity of them were gone. She looked at Vegeta and realized he had somehow stealthily taken a handful - along with some of the crackers, cheese, and salami - and was eating a majority of everything in one go. She groaned. "You are such a pig."

He eyed her, his cheeks as big as a chipmunk's while gathering acorns, and swallowed with a loud gulp. "Can't help it," he stated simply.

While Bulma grumbled something about manners, Kat watched him go for another handful of food, and she remembered the big question that had been bugging her since the first day. "Vegeta, what did you mean on Sunday when you said I'm feisty for a human?" she inquired.

Vegeta looked at her and finished the grape he had popped into his mouth. "Guess I promised you an explanation," he said. "But are you sure you want to know?"

"Is there something wrong with getting my explanation?" Kat challenged.

The man chuckled. "Guess not," he admitted. "Well, to start off, that girl was right. I am an alien."

Kat felt really stupid for trying to justify that he wasn't. "I...kind of figured," she mumbled, "but I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"This coming from the 'smart girl'," Vegeta taunted with a smirk. Kat frowned. "I'm from a race known as the Saiyans. Your idol was one too, actually."

"Goku was an alien, too?!"

"Kakarot is his real name. It's how I've called him since I've met him."

"When you fought him," Kat remembered.

He nodded. "...When I tried to destroy the planet."

Kat's face went from attentive listening to disbelief. "...What?"

"We Saiyans have an inborn need to fight," Vegeta continued, "and in a barbaric way as well. We strived to be the strongest in the universe and conquered planets to achieve that. Earth was one of our targets. Kakarot was sent here first as a baby, since even they could destroy a planet's inhabitants if they are weak enough. Though he did suffer amnesia, so Earth got lucky. When one of my fellow Saiyans and I came a few years ago, it was because of Kakarot that the Earth survived again."

The girl's mind was reeling with all sorts of thoughts. But the one that always came back was if Vegeta was training her in order for another chance to conquer the world. The thought came to mind that the only reason he fought against Cell was because he didn't want anyone in his way. So was Trunks there for the same reason? Is that the only reason he was with Bulma? All of these thoughts made her feel worse and worse and worse. And before Vegeta could continue talking and before either adult could stop her, Kat snatched her backpack and dashed out the door...

Deciding she would never come back.


	4. I'm Sorry

Papers shuffling, manila folders moving, the clock ticking, keyboard keys clicking...too bad Kat couldn't make a rhythm out of it. Not that she would if she could. It was like a raincloud was hanging over her head, but instead of showering her in the refreshing, bone-soaking water, it was sucking all of the life out of her.

Perhaps it was a funnel instead.

"Kat, is something wrong?" one of the secretaries asked. It took everything in her power to not lash out at the older female for "caring". Instead she sighed, sounding tired. "No, Mrs. Macbeth," she replied, trying her hardest not to sound bitter.

"You just seemed...drained," the blonde haired woman stated.

"It hasn't been the best of days," Kat told her.

The young secretary hummed, and the office went back to nothing but the repetitious noises. "How have things been going with your guardian?" Kat, caught off guard by the question, accidentally knocked over the pencil holder that was on the desk and dropped the manila folder in her hand, and because of it several pens, pencils, and papers fell to the floor.

"Damn it," Kat hissed under her breath as she kneeled down to reorganize the papers into the manila folder.

Heels clicking on the floor let Kat know the other secretary was making her way towards the young girl. "Do you need help?" Mrs. Capulet offered.

"No!" Kat unintentionally snapped. The two women jumped, and Kat looked back at the mess at her feet. "I...I mean, no," she tried again. "Sorry."

They watched her pick up the writing utensils, and then Mr. Hitoshi walked in. He raised an eyebrow. "Why is Kat on the floor?" he questioned.

"She accidentally tripped and went to pick up everything that spilled over," Mrs. Capulet lied, and for once Kat didn't care that she did. The last thing she wanted her principal to hear was that she had been caught off guard by a reasonable question and then snapped at the secretaries.

"I see," Mr. Hitoshi responded. "Well, are you almost done?"

The cup, filled once more, was back on the desk and Kat stood up, reorganized manila folder in hand. "Yes sir," she answered.

"Good." The young girl went over to the filing cabinet to put away the folder. "Once you put that away, you're free to go," the principal informed. "I'm sure you're eager to meet up with your guardian-"

"Shut _UP_!" Kat unintentionally shouted. At the same time she was putting the folder away, and not noting her strength, she ended up pushing it in too far. Everyone heard the crunch the papers and folder made. Kat froze, her mouth and eyes wide. "S-sorry!" she quickly apologized. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!"

Mr. Hitoshi sighed. "Once is enough," he noted. "Just lay it down on the desk; we'll fix later."

Kat silently slipped the crunched-up folder back out and did as he said. Then she grabbed her backpack and walked to the door. "Is...is it okay if I come next Friday as well?" she asked quietly. She felt six eyes on her. "It...wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be."

No one answered her for a while. Finally, Mr. Hitoshi cleared his throat. "Are you sure?" he clarified. Kat nodded. "Do you think your mother would approve?"

"I'll ask tonight," the student told him.

"I'm sure she'll agree, though," Mr. Hitoshi stated. "Well, have a good afternoon." Kat nodded, walked out the door, and then closed it behind her. She tightened her grip on the doorknob and frowned, then whipped around and stormed through the hallways towards the entrance.

It wasn't right for her to be this angry. She should have known that an evil-looking guy was actually evil. What she should have felt was disappointment in herself for believing in someone like him. She shook her head. "Why am I even thinking about this?" she muttered. "I just need to forget about it. Besides, I need to get home." She slowed to a stop right outside the front doors and looked at the ocean she could barely see through the buildings. Then she slumped her shoulders and sighed. "Where I'm going to have to explain everything all over again." Kat watched as she tried to make patterns on the ground with her foot and then stopped. "Standing here thinking about it isn't going to help matters. I should just get home." And she began the fifteen-minute trek back.

Going home was quiet, minus the honking and shouting of impatient drivers and pedestrians. The walk alone let Kat think of how she would try to explain everything to her mother...again. It wasn't that Kat was intimidated; despite being 5'8", Kagari was not an imposing woman, at least to Kat. She had thin black hair in a bobbed style and violet eyes. Besides having the same hair color, Kat looked nothing like the woman, to which Kagari would state the small girl looked more like her father. Kat would have liked to know if it was true, but her mother never said anymore about him than that, and her father had never come around once. There weren't even pictures of him anywhere in the house.

One of Kat's goals in life: to finally figure out who her father was.

Before Kat even realized it, she was home. With a plan in mind, she walked up to the front door, opened it- "Where the hell have you been?!" The girl sighed internally. She hadn't even made it through the front door this time.

"Dear, Kat told you yesterday she would be helping out the principal this afternoon," her grandmother reminded. _Thank you, Gran Gran._

Her mother looked at Natane and blinked. "She did?" she asked. The eldest female nodded. "Oh...huh. I don't quite remember that." _Of course you don't,_ Kat groaned internally. "Well, that's nice, I guess. But that doesn't change the fact that we're running late. Get dressed now."

"Sure," Kat agreed with a sarcastic hint, though her mother didn't catch it, as usual. For once, however, Kat followed instructions without a fuss. She went upstairs to her room and closed the door behind her, immediately going for her closet. In no time flat she was in a loose white long sleeve shirt with a black skirt that went halfway down her shins and black flats. Her thick black hair was out of its ponytail, a style she had gotten somewhat used to thanks to her training sessions. She noticed how the hairstyle kept her silky hair out of her eyes, making it pretty practical. Then she shook her head. "I really have to stop thinking about that," she hissed. Kat looked at herself in the full-length mirror one more time, noting her tired eyes. She sighed. "Maybe Mom was right for once," she mumbled. Then she looked at the clock. It was time.

Time for her to go back to her usual routine, as if nothing had ever happened.

...

Kat could not believe what she was standing in front of. Why, of all places, had her mother taken her to a fancy restaurant when they didn't have that kind of money to spend, especially one that served mostly pasta dishes, which her mother hated? Something was really weird here. But without any argument she followed her nicely dressed mother into the place. "Table for two?" the hostess asked when they reached the stand.

"Actually, we have a reservation for three, under Kagari," the woman corrected. _Three?_ Kat questioned. Who else was coming? It wasn't Gran Gran; she never came to these types of places. So who was it?

The hostess checked her list. "Oh, yes," she realized. "But where is the third member of your party?"

"He'll be running late," Kagari explained. _Well, at least I have the gender,_ Kat thought. _But I still don't know who it is._

"Very well," the hostess stated. She grabbed two menus. "Please follow me." The hostess led mother and daughter to a table next to one of the tall windows. The females took their seats opposite of each other. "Your server will be right with you," the employee informed with a smile before going back to her stand.

Kat looked around at all of the fancy people, feeling horribly out of place. Kagari, meanwhile, opened her menu as if nothing was wrong. "Mom, we don't have the money to afford this," Kat whispered after she was done with her inspection.

"This is a treat, Kat," her mother replied, not looking from her menu.

Her daughter was confused. "For what?"

"Just because." The girl didn't think that was a very good reason, but before she could say anything her mother continued. "Kat, our guest is very special, so I want you on your best behavior, _understand_?"

Kat gave up and sighed internally. "Yes," she agreed. A few moments passed, and their server showed up, two glasses of water in his hands.

"Thank you for coming tonight, ladies," he greeted as he set the water down. Kat immediately grabbed hers and took a sip. Something caught the corner of her right eye. Curious, she looked over to her right and choked on her water, resulting in a coughing fit.

"Kat, are you okay?" her mother asked.

She coughed a little longer. "Yeah," she finally wheezed. Kat cleared her throat and coughed twice. "The water just went down the wrong pipe." Her mother shrugged, and the server began to explain the specials. But Kat wasn't paying attention. _What in the world are **they** doing here?!_ she cried.

Across the restaurant, sitting at a two-person table, were Vegeta and Bulma.

 _How did they- **I** didn't know I was going here!_ Vegeta's eyes met hers, and they stared at each other for a while before Kat tore herself away. She opened her menu as she thought, _Stop jumping to conclusions. Maybe they wanted to come here. Just ignore them. Forget they're even here._ But even after she ordered a drink, Kat could still feel their presence, and she couldn't shake the feeling that they had come here because she did. It was only the arrival of the third person that finally distracted her.

He had buzzed brown hair, and his eyes were gold but very dull. Kat assumed that he had to be one of her mother's coworkers, judging by his gray business suit, not to mention that Kagari's face brightened instantly. Suddenly Kat had an inkling of what was going on but decided to let things play out to see if she was right. "Blaise, so good of you to join us," Kagari greeted happily.

The man smiled at her and sat down next to her. His eyes landed on the young girl across from him. "You must be Kat," he noted.

"Yes, sir," Kat confirmed, remembering to be on good behavior.

Blaise nodded. "Tell me about yourself," he instructed.

What was this, an interview? Kat stared at her lap, thinking of how to begin. "Well..." She looked up. "I'm nine years old, I go to Tanton Elementary, and I'm in sixth grade."

"Sixth grade at nine," Blaise repeated, sounding impressed. "You must be pretty smart."

"I like to think I am," Kat replied, not sounding as proud as usual.

"She skipped two grades she's so smart," Kagari elaborated, and for once she sounded as if she cared and that she was proud.

"Really?" the man said, intrigued.

Kagari nodded. "She even helped out the principal by organizing his office," she boasted.

Now Kat was 100% sure of what she was there for: she was the trophy child, brought in to make her mother look good for a date. And Kat would have thrown her hands up and walked away without a care, but now that she had answered a question she was stuck trying to protect her own reputation. _Thanks, Mom,_ Kat grumbled. "What are your hobbies?" Blaise suddenly asked.

"Hobbies?" Kat had to think again, this time for lies. She couldn't say she liked to watch the World Martial Arts Tournament videos, and she was pretty sure dancing was out of the question. "Reading," well, at least that was somewhat truthful, "and watching sports." ...Martial Arts were sports.

"Ah, sports. What kind?"

Damn it, this man asked too many questions. "Baseball," she lied without really thinking.

"Do you have a favorite team?"

 _ARGH! I don't **care** for baseball!_ "The...Taitans," she answered, thinking of the team she never heard the end of from Yuki.

Blaise nodded again, and Kat sighed internally. This was going to be a _loooong_ night.

...

"He's an idiot," Vegeta grumbled.

Bulma set down her glass of Burgundy Pinot noir and looked at him. "How so?" she questioned.

"She's clearly uncomfortable from just her posture alone; she might as well be screaming it."

The blue haired woman looked at him and then smiled. "I knew you cared," she commented. Vegeta grunted.

Originally the two had gone out because Bulma insisted they go on a dinner date. Vegeta, of course, didn't want to, but after the woman yelled his ear off for about thirty seconds he gave in. They walked around the city, not exactly sure on where to go, and it was only coincidence that they happened to notice Kat and her mother walk into the restaurant. Bulma, worried about the girl, wanted to go in, but Vegeta argued that if she didn't care why should they. Being who she was, the woman wouldn't have any of that crap and dragged him inside. And while Vegeta said he didn't care, he found himself constantly looking at the table, getting constantly annoyed at the man who didn't seem to get it and the woman eyeing him.

Vegeta's conclusion: humans were weird.

Apparently Kat was sick of the bullshit as well, because she got out of her chair and bowed before walking away to "go to the restroom". Jeez, even an infant could see through that. But instead of seeing the obvious the two went right to making small talk, and suddenly Vegeta was thankful for Bulma, no matter how obnoxious she could be. The thought of the blue haired woman across from him made him have a realization. He eyed her and noticed he was right: Bulma was watching the young girl with a concerned look in her eyes. "Don't do it," he advised.

"Vegeta, sitting here and ignoring the issue isn't going to make anything better," Bulma argued. "I've started to notice it, too. But those two are absolutely oblivious, and she's miserable as a result." She stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go clean up your mess."

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "How the hell is this my fault?!" he cried in disbelief. "I don't know, Vegeta, maybe you should start thinking before you speak," Bulma retorted before walking away.

Vegeta watched her go, completely speechless. He then rubbed his face and sighed. "What did I do to deserve this?"

...

 _What did I do to deserve this?_ Kat asked herself. _A trophy child. That's what all these Fridays nights have been. They've been practice to be a **trophy child**! Why I-_ Kat sighed, grateful no one was going in or out of the bathrooms. They would probably wonder why the hell a nine-year-old girl was just standing in the middle of the hallway. Then she heard heels, and she turned to at the very least make it look like she was heading for the door. "Kat, wait."

Bulma.

Part of Kat's mind wondered why she stopped, but another told her to do so. Kat decided to wait. "I want you to turn around," Bulma instructed. "But I know you'd rather not see my face. It's fine if you don't meet my eye." Kat didn't respond right away, but Bulma was patient. Finally, Kat did, but kept her eyes on the floor. "I want to talk to you."

"Bulma...I don't have the time...and I don't really want to," the girl responded, sounding tired.

"I figured," Bulma stated, but not sounding defeated. Rather, she sounded as if she knew this would happen. "Here, I want to give you something." Bulma's hand came into her vision, as well as a cell phone. "There's only one number on it: mine," the woman explained. "Whenever you want to talk, just call me and say when." She smiled, and if Kat were looking, she would have noticed it looked sad and yet understanding. "Even if it's never."

Kat stared at the phone for a while before finally meeting the woman's teal eyes. "...I don't have pockets," she revealed.

The woman opened her mouth and then closed it. After a few seconds she chuckled. "I should have known," she replied. "How about this: I'll give it to the hostess, and when you leave you can grab it." Kat didn't say anything, still thinking if she should take the offer. "I won't call you; this is all up to you," Bulma promised.

Her determination and caring nature made Kat unable to help a small smile. "Alright," she agreed.

"Okay," Bulma said, nodding. She smiled a little bigger. "And hang in there. I know those two must be difficult."

"I must be pretty obvious, huh?" Kat realized.

"Only to non lovebirds," Bulma stated. Kat couldn't help giggling just a little, and then Bulma stepped out of her way. "After you, milady."

Kat couldn't help but giggle again and curtsied to play along before walking past the woman and back to her table. There was something about Bulma's personality that made her unable to keep anything but a smile. She was still a little apprehensive about calling the scientist, but something told her to give it a shot.

During the rest of dinner, Kat found herself looking at the couple across the restaurant, especially when she didn't feel comfortable. In ways Kat was confused as to how they were blending in so well. Bulma was the heir to Capsule Corp after all and therefore in pretty much every science journal and...well...every other journal, and Vegeta's hair alone should have peaked interest. But somehow they were inconspicuous, although they didn't seem to mind. Occasionally, when Kat would look over, she would meet their eyes. Bulma would always give an encouraging smile, as if to say, "Hang in there", but Vegeta would only stare before going back to his food.

Well, at least he knew table manners whenever he wasn't home.

Eventually dinner ended, and the three got up from the table, Kagari's arms wrapped around one of Blaise's. The adults walked ahead of Kat, who gave one last glance at Bulma and Vegeta before following her mother. As they walked by the hostess stand, Kat heard a "Psst." She turned to the noise and saw a new hostess with the cell phone in her hand. "You are incredibly lucky to know Bulma Briefs," she whispered. Kat smiled a bit before taking the phone and walking out the door.

...

For the rest of the week the phone sat on her nightstand, taunting her. There would be days where she would be doing homework and stop for five minutes just to stare at it. But she didn't pick it up, and sometimes she wondered why she kept it instead of giving it back. _Or you could just destroy it,_ a small impish voice in the back of her head sang. Kat shooed that thought away.

She always hated whenever that little evil voice popped up.

On Friday she was back in the office, organizing papers again. She yawned as she put a binder into the bookshelf. Mrs. Macbeth scribbled something onto a piece of paper, and Kat happened to pass by when she did. The young girl raised an eyebrow. "Why are you keeping a tally?" she questioned.

"I don't think I've heard someone yawn this much in the span of 30 minutes before," the woman noted. Kat frowned. "Look, dear, I don't know what happened between you and your guardian, nor do I need to. But whatever it is, I think you two should let bygones be bygones. You don't look so good."

"Yeah...well, it's just...complicated," Kat mumbled.

Mrs. Macbeth didn't reply for a while. "Then perhaps it wasn't worth it," she voiced. Kat slumped her shoulders and went to put some manila folders away. "Or perhaps it is," the blonde haired woman continued. Kat stopped. "You don't know until you talk it out, right?"

Kat stared at her, realizing the woman's words had forced gears to begin turning in her head. "Perhaps," she finally agreed.

Still, Kat didn't do anything, even after Mitsumi and Yuki (both of whom had stayed behind to walk home with her) agreed with the young secretary. It wasn't until later that night, when she not only had to once again play trophy child but also found herself in a very uncomfortable situation, that Kat finally did something. Despite it being close to 11 by the time Kat was ready for bed, she picked up the phone and called the only number on the device.

Of course, it had been quite tricky when tears threatened her vision.

...

Scouters and cell phones were different.

But they annoyed him in the same way.

 _Who the hell is calling that woman's phone this late?_ Vegeta thought in anger when the phone started ringing like crazy, waking him up. He still didn't know why he agreed to this arrangement, but he had, and now he was paying the price. It took a little longer for Bulma to get up, and finally the accursed ringing stopped when she picked it up. "Hello?" Bulma asked sleepily, probably assuming Vegeta was asleep and therefore didn't feel the need to step out of the room. A few moments of silence passed, and suddenly Bulma was sitting up. "Kat?" Vegeta's ears unintentionally perked. "What are you doing calling this late? ...No, don't feel bad, just tell me what you need." Vegeta tried straining his ears to hear the other end.

"...tomorrow, please," he barely picked up. She seemed to be talking very quietly.

"Alright, I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon," Bulma promised. The man next to her rolled his eyes and closed them, trying to get back to sleep. "Of course- wait, Kat, is everything okay?" His eyes opened back up. "It's okay, just tell me what happened." Suddenly Vegeta heard whimpering, and then the girl on the other end began to cry. Unable to help it, he sat up, startling Bulma a little, but she quickly recovered and then decided to put the call on speaker.

"They- they made fun of them!" she cried, her voice sounding slightly distorted thanks to the small speaker. "Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo-" Kat inhaled sharply, making a hiccup-like noise. "Gohan, Trunks, Vegeta... They made fun of all of them!" Vegeta rolled his eyes. He already said no one cared; there was literally no reason for her to be acting this way. "Then-" She inhaled sharply again, and then she went to whimpering as her voice got quieter. "Then they insulted Goku... They didn't make fun of him; they _insulted_ him, a _dead_ man. They insulted his honor-" She actually hiccupped and then whimpered. "A...and they made me join in."

Now Vegeta saw the point, and as he stared at the phone, he noted how ashamed she sounded. He didn't know whether to feel sorry for her or feel anger towards her mother. "Kat, there's no reason to cry," Bulma soothed.

"But they- but I-"

"Kat, that's on them if they're going to be inconsiderate," the woman interrupted. "And no one is going to hate you. I know you didn't mean any of it, so don't go beating yourself up, okay?"

The girl whimpered and sniffed before she quietly said, "Okay."

Bulma smiled. "Good. Now go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Kat repeated. "I'm sorry for calling you this late."

"Don't worry about it," Bulma assured. "Just go to sleep. Good night."

"Good night." And then Kat hung up.

The woman sighed, exasperated. "I haven't even met her mother, and I already hate her," she noted in annoyance as she placed the phone back on the nightstand.

"Whatever," Vegeta grumbled as he lied back down.

"Stop being so insensitive." Vegeta grunted. "Ugh, whatever. I don't feel like arguing with you right now." Bulma turned onto her side so that her back was to the man next to her.

Meanwhile, Vegeta rolled his eyes before closing them. He fell back into the darkness of sleep pretty easily-

_Vegeta, HELP ME!_

He sprang up, gasping and drenched in a cold sweat. He rubbed his face and shook his head. _What the hell?_ It had been seven years since he thought of that, but...why did he think of that, anyway? Then he looked at the clock and frowned. 3 a.m., it read. Just like- "Forget it," he whispered before lying back down and slowly drifting back to sleep.

...

Black baggy sweatpants and a plain gray t-shirt to match the black and gray rainy skies. Kat sighed, the feeling of a butterfly swarm invading her stomach. "Kat, there isn't a need to be so antsy," Natane assured.

"Gran Gran, I just- I'm nervous," the girl admitted.

"There's no need to be," her grandmother replied. "You know Bulma's a nice girl."

Kat nodded and looked at her lap while watching her right leg bounced rapidly. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Kat jumped off the couch, sprinted to the door, and flung it open. "Whoa, someone's antsy," Bulma commented. She was wearing a blue long sleeved dress, a white scarf, belt, and boots. To protect herself from the steady rainfall, she had a navy blue umbrella open.

The young girl stared at her. "Uh...yeah, I guess I am...a little," she admitted.

"Please get this young lady out of the house," Natane requested as she walked to Kat's side. "I'm afraid she might destroy the place from bouncing off the walls."

Bulma smiled. "Will do," she stated. "You must be Kat's grandmother. I've heard a lot of good things about you."

"I should hope so," the old woman laughed. "And I've heard plenty of good things about you, Ms. Briefs, and not just from Kat."

"Why thank you," Bulma responded, her smile a bit bigger. "Now come on, Kat, you heard your grandmother. How about we go get some lunch since we're going out?"

Kat was about to argue, but right as she opened her mouth to protest, her stomach grumbled loudly. "...Lunch sounds good," she agreed quietly, embarrassed.

"Alright, then let's get going," Bulma instructed.

"Oh, and make sure to keep her out of the rain," Natane suddenly advised.

Bulma looked at the old woman curiously. "Why?" she inquired.

Natane smiled. "You'll never be able to get her out of it," she informed.

"Just like Vegeta," Bulma sighed good naturally. "I found him standing in the lawn just staring up at the clouds right before I left. I never get what's going through that man's head." She looked back at Kat. "Well then, stay under the umbrella, okay?"

"Alright," Kat said before dipping under it. Bulma waved to the gray haired woman before walking to her car. She held the umbrella up so Kat could get in, and then quickly jumped into the driver's seat. "So, kiddo," Bulma began as she threw the closed-up umbrella into the backseat, "what do you want?"

She thought about it. "Um, a bento box sounds nice," Kat decided.

"Oo, that does sound good," the woman noted as she started up the car. "I know a really good place downtown-"

"Nothing too expensive, please," Kat cut in.

Bulma smiled at her. "It's most definitely not," she assured before taking off.

The store was a small, cute one, but it still had some good stuff. There was so much Kat ended up taking a really long time deciding on what she wanted. She finally settled on a Hokaben, which consisted of rice, salmon sashimi, chicken teriyaki, and gyoza. Meanwhile, Bulma ended up getting the Shidashi, which had tempura, rice, and pickled vegetables. They decided to take their lunch in the car, and Bulma had Kat hold hers as she drove. The young girl looked at the boxes in her lap for a long time before looking up at the driver. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Sunset Bluffs," Bulma answered. "My older sister Tights used to take me there whenever I needed to get something off of my chest."

"You have an older sister?" Kat questioned.

The woman nodded. "She's a sci-fi writer," Bulma explained. " _Tanbu and the EverStar_ , _Fireflies_ , _Chako the Space Policeman_ -"

"You're sister is Lena Nora?!" Kat cried.

"I forgot she uses an author's name," Bulma commented. Kat looked ahead with wide eyes.

They finally made it to the bluffs, where they were able to overlook the ocean. Kat noted that the clouds didn't look like they would let up any time soon, but she liked it that way. The two ate their lunches as the radio softly played music while the rain softly pounded on the roof. And to indulge Kat, Bulma uncovered the sunroof so the small girl could watch the rain. It didn't take long for either of them to finish their lunch, and they put the empty boxes in the middle backseat before leaning their seats all the way back and lying on them. Kat took a deep breath, wishing she could breathe in the fresh rain and sea salt. "Thank you, Bulma," she said.

"Of course," Bulma replied. She sighed. "And I'm sorry about Vegeta. He's not someone who knows how to explain things very well." She eyed Kat. "And I feel like he thinks you're older than you are."

"Was it because I said I act older than I am?" Kat hypothesized.

Bulma shrugged. "Like I said, I never get what goes through his head." She sighed, but this time it sounded a little sad. "But I have an idea of what he's been through." Kat looked at her in confusion. "He was right in saying what Saiyans do...or, did." They let the rain hit the roof for a while before Bulma continued. "You see, there was this guy, Frieza. He was a monster, and at some point he took over Vegeta's planet...and some time after that, he destroyed it. Then, from what I can tell, he made Vegeta his slave."

Kat gripped the armrest. "Bulma, you're not going to guilt trip me back," she stated.

"I'm not trying to," Bulma replied. "All I'm doing is telling the truth. And that's the truth." She ran a hand through her blue hair. "We had a conversation before I came to pick you up. I actually wanted him to come along, but he refused, saying this was all a waste of time. He said you're just being dramatic." Kat snorted. "But I don't think he gets it. We've already touched on how we think it might have something to do with your way of thinking. But I also think, in a way, you're in the same situation as he was."

Now she glared. "I may hate my mom, but I would never say she would make me into a slave," she defended.

"Definitely not," Bulma agreed. "Vegeta agrees with you. He even got mad, saying that you haven't gone through anything like him. But at the same time you kind of have." Kat growled and was about to snap, but the woman kept going. "She made you a trophy child, and she's restricted you from doing what you like." Bulma looked her squarely in the eyes. "I know it's not the same thing. You're definitely not beaten and tortured, and that's what Vegeta tried to argue. And that's when I told him he was right." She smiled. "You should have seen how surprised he looked." Kat relaxed a little. "Then I told him that, to you, maybe it feels that way. We can all go through similar situations but we view them differently. Or maybe they're at different intensities. Doesn't that sound plausible?"

The girl lied on her back again, watching the rain fall. "I guess," she admitted. "I never really thought about that."

"Because there's never been anything to compare it to. And, if we think about it, this is the first time you've been free. This is the first time you've done something _you've_ wanted to do."

"...Yeah," Kat realized. "And, if I'll be honest...I haven't been the same since that day." She twiddled her thumbs. "Vegeta...when he walked in Mr. Hitoshi's office and talked to him, that was the first time someone ever really stood up for me and get someone else to understand, while at the same time finally give me a well deserved slap across the face." She breathed in through her nose. "I guess I kind of miss him."

"He's a stubborn, proud man," Bulma voiced, lying back down and folding her arms. "He'll never admit it, but I think he misses those sessions, too. In a way, Kat, he cares. You just have to dig a bit deeper than most people."

"If you're suggesting I have a heart, you can think again," Vegeta's voice suddenly floated in. The two females jumped and turned their heads to find him leaning against Kat's door.

"What the hell, Vegeta?!" Bulma shrieked.

"How long have you even been there?!" Kat squeaked.

Vegeta turned his head slightly. "Not too long," he revealed, his voice slightly muffled. Then he smirked. "I just wanted to make sure the woman didn't botch up the story."

Bulma stuck her tongue out. "Did she?" Kat questioned.

He didn't say anything. For a while, no one did. Then he turned around and looked through the window, his arm resting on the roof and the smirk still on his face but wider. "I'm sorry, it's a little hard to hear you. Might be better if you step outside."

"Vegeta, she's not allowed to go out in the rain," Bulma informed him.

"Oh, I heard that," he stated.

"You've been following us the entire time?!" the blue haired woman exclaimed.

"Perhaps," he replied, pulling out a pair of chopsticks from the back pocket of his jeans. "But if I remember correctly, just a minute ago you seemed pretty happy that she decided something for herself." He looked at Kat. "So, what do you prefer?"

Kat looked at him, and before Bulma could protest, she opened the door and stepped out into the rain. She held out her palms and then looked up at the falling rain. And as she did, she felt a grin form on her face, and she no longer felt angry or sad or drained.

Finally that damn funnel was gone, replaced by a refreshing raincloud.

She let the water soak her to the bone and the sea salt tickle her nose. Suddenly the world seemed much brighter. "She got it mostly right," Vegeta answered suddenly, slightly snapping Kat out of it. She looked at him, now standing a few feet away from the car thanks to her exit. Then she watched as he smirked again. "But if you're looking for details, that's not happening."

The girl continued to stare for a bit as she felt the rain hit her skin. Then she smiled. "Didn't expect any," she noted. Then she walked up to the railing that separated her from seven feet of land before the sheer drop. She rested her hands on the cold metal pipe and looked towards the horizon, with Vegeta soon joining by her side, his arms crossed. They stood there in silence, letting the water soak them completely to the bone, before Kat finally commented, "I like the rain."

"I've been to many planets," Vegeta stated. "On some, the rain was dangerous. On others, there wasn't any. Then there were those where the rain was refreshing. And, if there's one nice thing I can say about Earth, it has the most refreshing rain."

"And that's the only nice thing you can say about our planet?" Kat challenged half playfully and half serious. Vegeta just smirked. Then Kat looked at the irises growing next to the railing and sighed. "Vegeta, I'm...I'm sorry for running out like that."

Vegeta didn't answer for a bit. "So does that mean you want to train again?" he finally inquired.

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"Good," he said bluntly. "You've missed a lot of time." He looked at her. "Are you doing anything today?"

She met his gaze, and she smiled a little bigger than before. "Guess I'm training," she replied.

He smirked again. "Good," he repeated. Then he began to walk to the car, where Bulma had managed to find towels and place them over the seats. "If I recall, you have a promise to keep, and I have a feeling today would be a good day to keep it."

Kat looked at him, puzzled. "Promise?"

"Did I not tell you I would tack on the hardest hour of your life?"

Oh...yeah...that. She actually forgot about her punishment, but rather than go along quietly, she jumped onto his back and clung to his neck. Meanwhile Vegeta acted as if it were a struggle trying to grab her, but Kat knew he was only toying with her, and that made her a little more pissed. "That's not fair!" she complained.

"Last time I checked, life isn't fair," he commented. "Aren't you one who knows best?"

"Yeah...w-well..." Kat grunted and looked away from his mocking black eyes. "Whatever," she grumbled as she puffed out her cheeks. Vegeta smirked bigger once more and walked to the car, Kat still on his back.

"I'm sorry."

Kat perked up when she heard that, and looked to Vegeta, who stopped because of her reaction. "Wh-what?" Kat questioned.

"What?" he asked.

"Did...did you say..." The look of slight confusion on his face made her stop. "Never mind. I think I was hearing things."

Vegeta looked at her curiously but immediately dropped it to continue his walk to the car. "This is the only time I'll carry you, by the way," he noted.

"I'm surprised you're even letting me do this once," Kat commented.

"Don't get used to it."

She smiled, and then rested her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes and felt the rain hit the side of her face. "I'm sorry." She heard the small huff and could imagine him rolling his eyes.

But she didn't know about the small smile that unwillingly crept onto his face.


	5. Babies and Burglars

Ah, summer time. When students finally got a break from the books and the homework and the teachers. It was a time of relaxation, a time to forget all of your troubles, a time to hang out with friends and family, and all around have a good time.

Well, if your name wasn't Kat, that is.

She seriously believed that her father must have broken 10,000 mirrors, walked under 2,000 ladders, and passed by a million black cats in the alley. The only reason she believed it wasn't her mother was because Kagari believed in those things (yeah, a practical businesswoman believing in superstitions; go figure) and made sure she never did any of that. But whoever it was, it must have happened during the summer, because that was Kat's unluckiest season. True, there were days where nothing happened, but when things went wrong, they went _**wrong**_.

Like the time she got drenched in neon green, neon pink, and neon yellow paint and then got hit by all three cans.

Or the time she ordered Escargot just to try it, only to find out it was still alive.

Or the time where she got hit in the head by a soccer ball, which made her stumble into the street and almost get hit by a semi.

Yeah, summer was not her thing.

That day was no exception.

It was a week into July, and it had been three weeks since school ended. Kat had spent the previous night at Mitsumi's, since her family was going on a two-week vacation to Papaya Island (which had more than just the World Martial Arts Tournament). Meanwhile, Yuki and his family had left for Amenbo Island the week before. Of course, while Kat knew she would be kind of lonely without their company, at least this year she had something to do other than sit in her room or get run over by semis.

No, that day it was burglars.

All she wanted to do was peacefully get Lena Nora's (or, Tights Briefs, as she now knew) new book and then be on her way to Capsule Corp. without fuss. Instead, as soon as she stepped out of the bookstore, two guys showed up, demanding any and all money she had. Caught off guard, Kat bolted in the exact opposite direction of her destination.

At some point as she pushed through the busy streets of Downtown West City, it occurred to her that she could have probably beaten up the two guys and been on her way. Now that she was in the middle of all these people, though, it didn't seem practical or safe. So she just kept running, hearing the two shouting at her to stop. Why was _she_ their target anyway? Did she _look_ rich? She momentarily looked down at her clothes: an orange tank top, a pale yellow vest, white jean shorts, and black skate shoes. Then she looked over her shoulder at her plain, slightly beaten up orange backpack.

Didn't scream "rich girl" to her.

"This is why you should teach me to fly!" Kat hissed in a panic, talking to the man who couldn't even hear her. When she turned her head to look forward again, her eyes caught a small alleyway. A small alleyway with a ladder at the end. An idea popped in her head. "Though I guess the rooftops would be the next best thing." She darted into the alley and proceeded to jump up the ladder, climbing it almost as if she were a monkey. It didn't take long to reach the top, and when she did she momentarily stopped and turned around. Then, with her newfound strength, she proceeded to rip the metal ladder off the side of the building.

Probably would have been smarter to beat them up if she could tear ladders off with relative ease.

With the ladder out of the concrete, Kat then tore the first three rungs off before tossing them and the ladder back into the alley. That would have been a stupid move if the two guys weren't already running into the alley. They jumped back when the metal hit the floor with a loud _CLANG_ , and Kat sighed. She soon realized she couldn't relax when she barely avoided a bullet in her skull.

No, it was better to run.

So she did. It didn't matter if their only way up was out of commission, she wasn't taking any chances. It was summer, after all. She ran along the rooftops, grateful for the strength in her legs that allowed her to clear the gaps in between buildings. But soon she ran out of them, and found herself staring down at the street two stories below. _But, I mean, maybe I could make that jump,_ Kat thought. _If I jump and roll just right-_ "Alright, kid." She whipped around to find the taller one slowly walking towards her, his gun out. "Fork over the zeni and you won't get hurt."

Summer. Just, summer.

She backed up, and when her right heel hit air she realized she had nowhere to go. Seeing her predicament, the man gave off a smirking grin and began walking towards her slowly. Kat thought about fighting him, but with barely any room and with a gun in his hand, she saw herself getting hurt more so than saving herself. He edged even closer, and instinctively she backed up, not remembering she had no more building.

Kat fell.

Luckily, there was an awning right under her that she had overlooked, but it didn't hold very long. She fell right through the tarp and crashed onto someone's table, where she felt her right foot accidentally connect with someone's face. He let out a cry in pain, though Kat herself was cringing due to the amount of back pain. Then the girl heard a gasp. "Dear, look up!" the woman exclaimed. Presumably she was talking about the burglar, who was cursing Kat out.

"Don't worry, I'll go handle him," her man responded.

Wait...that voice. Kat knew that voice.

Before she could see him, though, the man was gone. She blamed how hard it was to sit up, though the woman did help her. "Dear, are you all right?" she asked. Kat looked at her. She had big plum colored eyes, very curly cotton candy pink hair, and was wearing a sunglow yellow sundress.

The woman was like a walking crayon box.

"Y-yeah," Kat answered, her voice shaky. "I-is he-"

"Oh, don't worry about him, dear, he can handle that man himself," she assured. Soon enough, the woman was proven right as the burglar was heard screaming and running away. "See?" Kat nodded, and she shakily slid off the table before stretching her back out. She shook herself out, and footsteps caught her attention. She turned her head towards their direction.

Yamcha.

His black hair had gotten a tad longer since the Cell Games, but not by much. He was wearing a navy blue tank top and light brown shorts, and he looked very proud of himself. "That was almost too easy," he boasted as he walked up to Kat and his date. "You okay there, kid? That must have been quite the scare."

It took a while for Kat to find her voice. "Uh, yeah, it was," she replied. "Thank you for getting rid of him."

"No problem," he stated with a smile. "The name's Yamcha. Nice to meet you."

"N-nice to meet you, too," Kat said. She decided to wait a bit before telling him she knew that. "I'm Kat."

"What a wonderful name!" the woman cooed. _Sure, if you really like being named after an animal,_ Kat thought. "My name is Amane, by the way."

"Nice to meet you as well." Kat looked at them both before looking at the table. All of the plates and glasses were on the cement in pieces, with whatever was left on or in them spewed all over as well. "Um, sorry about ruining your date."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Yamcha told her. "I'll let it slide since you had that kind of guy on your tail."

"Besides, we were pretty much done," Amane added. "I was just about to go pay."

Kat nodded, and then she felt compelled to check her phone, the one Bulma had given her. She pulled it out of her pocket, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Oh crap, I'm going to be late!" she realized. She stuffed her phone back where it had been. "Vegeta's going to be so pissed!" She was about to take off, but Yamcha stopped her.

"You know Vegeta?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry, but I've gotta go, _now_!"

"Hold on. I know Bulma." He beamed. "She's a good friend of mine, and I can have you at Capsule Corp. in no time flat! Besides, I'm not letting you run there by yourself." He did have a good point. "Amane, I've gotta go."

"That's fine, dear," she agreed. "I have to go meet up with my friends soon, anyway." Yamcha went to give her some zeni, but the crayon box told him not to worry. With that, Yamcha quickly lead the girl to his car, and once they were both in and the car started, he took off.

"Thanks for taking me," Kat said. The man smiled.

"No problem," he replied. "I get an excuse to see Bulma, and I haven't since after the Cell Games. Not to mention it was getting kind of awkward with Amane." He sighed. "Another bust, I suppose."

Kat almost chuckled at his apparent misery. It was a bad habit she was starting to pick up from Vegeta. "By the way, I already knew your name," she pointed out.

Yamcha raised an eyebrow. "How so?" he questioned.

She smiled. "You're in all of those World Martial Arts Tournament videos I watch," she explained.

"Oh, a fan, I see," he noted, clearly brightening with pride. Kat didn't feel like telling him she liked the others a tad more. "Wait, so does that mean you _train_ with Vegeta?"

"Almost every day for pretty much two months now."

"Whoa, that's intense! And how old are you, about nine?" Kat nodded. "Jeez, that's crazy. It's even more bizarre that Vegeta would do that."

"Goku, right?" Kat brought up.

He seemed somber. Not surprising, since Goku was his friend, after all. "Yeah," he confirmed. "The guy really had his sights on beating him. I could have sworn he lost all fighting spirit."

"I kind of bumped it back into him," Kat informed.

"Really? How'd you do it?"

"By bumping into him." Yamcha looked really confused. "It's a long story."

"We have a bit of a drive," he responded. So Kat told him what had happened in the last two months, omitting the part about her quitting for a week. By the end of it, Yamcha seemed really impressed. "Pretty amazing." He eyed her, a smirk on his face. "So, how's the actual training?"

Kat sighed, but she was smiling. "You know him, right? You do it his way, or you don't do it at all. Do it right the first time, or else you get yelled at before you have to do it again. And you keep going until you're about to drop, no questions asked."

Yamcha laughed. "Sounds about right," he voiced. "It must be _killing_ him not to train at whatever bizarre gravity setting he does."

"We're almost to 10," Kat stated. "Almost done with 8, actually."

"Eight- Kid, you are some kind of amazing." Kat rolled her eyes. The only reason she was there so quickly was because Vegeta insisted they were going too slow. Suddenly every day was the equivalent of punishment day, which Kat had to say that was indeed the hardest thing she ever did.

It would have been nice if she had the power of flight the day after.

They arrived at Capsule Corp. just in time. Yamcha quickly put his car into Capsule form before following the hasty girl, who was almost at the front door. It opened for them, and they jogged to the living room. Kat was about to carelessly toss her backpack onto the couch as usual, but as soon as it left her hand, Vegeta slipped in out of nowhere and caught it by the top strap. He eyed the small girl and raised an eyebrow, to which she shrugged, not seeing anything wrong with it...until she looked at the couch and realized she would have hit Bulma's mom right in the back of the head, not to mention she was holding Trunks in her lap. Kat stared at the blonde haired woman with wide eyes, and then looked up at Vegeta. "Uh...sorry," she apologized.

Vegeta didn't say anything. He just stared at her for a while before turning around and tossing the orange backpack onto the chair. "You're late," he noted.

"Late?" Kat repeated, peeved. She zipped in front of Vegeta and showed him the time on her phone. "I'm right on time!"

"Which means you're late," he replied.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Kat shouted as she shoved the phone back into her pocket.

"You shouldn't be here on time, you should be here early," he stated.

"I was chased by burglars!" she cried. "You try getting anywhere on time - oh, excuse me, _early_ \- when people trying to steal your stuff are chasing you with guns!"

He stared at her, slight puzzlement in his eyes. "Why didn't you just punch them?" he questioned.

Kat was about to blow her top. "Aw, come on, Vegeta, cut her some slack," Yamcha voiced. Vegeta raised an eyebrow to him; apparently he didn't realize Yamcha had been standing behind Kat the whole time. "She was caught off guard. Besides, she might be tough, but I don't think she can handle bullets yet."

"Maybe if _someone_ would just teach me how to _fly_ already!" Kat added.

Vegeta rolled his eyes at her. "You're not ready yet," he decided. "I've said it before, and I honestly hate repeating myself." Then he looked at Yamcha again. "And you. Why are you here?"

Now it was Yamcha's turn to roll his eyes, but he ended up with a smile. "If you must know, I helped get Kat away from those creeps. Ran for the hills, I tell ya."

The Saiyan huffed, a smirk on his face. "Then they must have been children," he commented.

"First off, jackass, he's your guest and Bulma's friend!" Kat barked. "Second, I am _so sorry_ I was caught off guard! I told you they had guns!"

"Are you seriously going to carry that tone with me?" Vegeta inquired, his face stoic but his sentence a tad threatening.

Kat wasn't intimidated, though, since she was still a little angry. "Yes, I will dare," she growled. "Because what I said is true...jackass."

He snickered, annoyance flashing on his face. "If that's your nickname for me today, prepare to be in serious trouble," he threatened.

"Bring it," Kat challenged. "I've taken your 'serious trouble' before; it's not going to be any harder than it's already been."

She didn't realize how much she was seriously testing her luck, and she didn't have a lot of it.

It was summer, after all.

"You think training's too easy," he said, his mouth forming a wicked smirk. "Fine. We're moving straight to ten times gravity today, then."

Her eyes widened. " _What?!_ " she shrieked. "We're not done with eight, though!"

"Too bad; you're the one who wants it to be harder."

"I never said that!"

"You implied it, and that's good enough for me."

"Ba, ba!" Trunks suddenly exclaimed. Kat looked over at him; the baby was giving off the biggest grin in the world as he clapped his hands. "Bas, mm ba!"

Vegeta's wicked smirk became a wicked smirking _grin_. "Seems Trunks thinks you can do it," he stated.

Kat really wanted to punch the man. "He's a baby," she pointed out in a grumpy tone. "Like he understands what's going on."

"Trunks is very smart, dear," Mrs. Briefs piped up.

"Oh sure," Kat grumbled. "So if those burglars were to show up here, we should listen to him. Because _clearly_ he's smarter than all of us."

"Maybe he's not that smart, but I'm sure he can understand what's going on right now," Yamcha said. "And I think he's right. I think you can, too."

The girl grumbled. "You all hate me, don't you?" she questioned.

"What's so wrong with ten time gravity, anyway?" Mrs. Briefs asked.

"Why is that a question?!" Kat cried. "It's intensified gravity; have you even felt triple times gravity?!" _Sometimes,_ Kat thought, _that woman is so oblivious._

Vegeta suddenly used her head as an armrest. As if that was going to help her mood. "I could bump it up to fifteen," he told her.

She grumbled again and folded her arms. "Fine, we'll go to ten," she agreed. Vegeta went to his trademark smirk and then began dragging Kat to the gravity room by the ear. "OW! Vegeta, that really hurts!"

"I told you you'd be in serious trouble," Vegeta replied. "This is only the start."

Kat huffed. "Can I at least change into something more comfortable to train in?" she inquired.

"You've already wasted enough time with your useless bickering," he answered. Kat growled.

So Vegeta pushed Kat through ten times gravity training. Unbeknownst to them, Bulma and Yamcha were watching in the control room two doors down. With its own set of gravity controls, a lock and unlock button for the gravity room door, a way to switch the control inside the GR on and off, video feed, and a two-way speaker, it was there just in case something went wrong inside the GR. Right now, though, it was just for observing. And what Yamcha was observing was more intense than anything he had seen. "Wow," was all he could say at around the half hour mark.

"Yeah, this is what happens almost every day," Bulma stated.

"He's barking out orders but she's taking them like it's nothing!" the man observed.

"Well, not nothing," Bulma corrected. "Soon she's going to snap back at him and try to show him up. It's honestly like watching a mini Vegeta sometimes."

Yamcha looked at her. "How so?"

"She's so damn stubborn, and I swear whenever I try to help her out she says, 'I don't need help'."

"Has Vegeta been giving her lessons in that, too?"

"That's what I keep asking." Bulma sighed. "They both deny it."

"What do you mean I'm not doing it right?!" they heard Kat cry through the speakers. They looked at the video. Kat's foot was close to Vegeta's stomach, but Vegeta had her by the ankle.

"I mean you're not doing it right!" he barked. "That isn't too hard to grasp, is it, _human_?"

"Stop insulting my race, damn it!" the girl shouted. "What I _mean_ , your _highness_ , is what am I doing wrong? I did exactly what you told me to do!"

"Wait, when did Kat learn he's a prince?" Yamcha asked.

"Last week," Bulma answered. "Now it's her go-to 'push to annoy' button."

Yamcha chuckled nervously. "She really is like a mini Vegeta," he noted, now imagining Kat wearing a Saiyan uniform and trying to take over the world.

Meanwhile, Vegeta was indeed getting annoyed. "You really just want to push my buttons today, don't you?" he growled.

"I'm wondering, should I go with 'jackass' or 'your highness' for the rest of the day?" Kat pondered, a hint of smugness in her voice. Suddenly she was face down on the floor, and Vegeta was sitting on her back, one leg crossed over the other and with his arms crossed. "Vegeta, get off of me!" Kat demanded.

"Either you do it yourself or you beg," Vegeta instructed.

"I will never beg!" Kat declared. "You'll see, you'll be on the ground begging for _my_ mercy soon!"

"Prove it."

Bulma sighed as they watched Kat struggling to get the man off her back. "And that's usually how every day goes," she said. Yamcha felt a sweat drop form.

Finally, after two hours, training was over. Kat collapsed onto the couch, taking up the whole thing. "Sweet merciful- hallelujah!" she cried, though it was muffled by the pillow her face was currently stuffed into. "Thank Dende it's over!"

"You know about Dende?" Yamcha asked, walking to behind the couch.

Kat held up two fingers. "Bulma told me two weeks ago," she replied, sounding exhausted.

Vegeta huffed at her tone. "Stop over exaggerating," he said. Now Kat only held up one finger, but Vegeta only rolled his eyes. Yamcha, meanwhile, felt like his eyes would pop out of his head. He couldn't wrap around the idea that the nine-year-old girl was willing defying Vegeta without so much as hesitating and without him destroying her, and how she even knew what the one-fingered salute was.

"Bad news, guys," Bulma suddenly stated as she walked into the living room, phone in hand. "I just got a call from Natane. Apparently Kagari will be here in about 40 minutes."

Yamcha gave a confused look, Vegeta raised an eyebrow, and Kat crashed onto the floor. "WHAT?!" she exclaimed as she jumped back up. "Why's Mom coming _here_?!"

"Well, according to your grandmother, she got home early - shocking, I know," she added, noting Kat's whacked-out look. "She noticed you were gone - shocking, I know - and asked where you were. Natane told her you were here, and when asked why, she came up with babysitting."

"That's actually a pretty good excuse," Kat realized. Then it slowly sunk in. "Oh...wait..."

"Yeah, Kagari wants to see you actually babysitting," Bulma confirmed. "And, as an 'added bonus', she wants to have dinner with Vegeta and I."

Now Vegeta gave a whacked-out look. "I am _not_ going anywhere with that woman!" he denied.

"Neither do I, Vegeta, but we don't exactly have a choice in the matter," the blue haired woman countered. "She apparently wants to know what type of people Kat's clients are. That," Bulma looked a tad annoyed, "and she probably wants to freeload off of me, too."

He grunted. "Is that idiot going to be with her?" he questioned.

"Don't know."

Vegeta grunted again. "He better not."

Bulma looked at Kat, who was back on the couch again, though this time she was properly sitting. She was staring up at the ceiling, trying to calm herself down. "So, you ready to babysit?" she asked.

"How hard can it possibly be?" Kat replied, lifting her head off the back of the couch. "Sure, your parents will be leaving soon too, but Trunks is a pretty good baby, and-" She stopped. "Hold on. I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not?" Bulma inquired.

Kat turned and looked at the three adults. "Did I ever mention summer is my unluckiest season?" she stated.

All three of them stared at her. "I'm concerned as to what that means," Vegeta voiced.

"It means bad stuff happens to me during the summer...a lot." Kat thought about it. "Like that one time I hit my chin on the side of the pool and had to get stitches. Or the time I was accidentally pushed into some bars and the firemen had to saw me out. Or when I got hit the head with a soccer ball and stumbled into the street where I almost got run over by a semi."

She was never going to forgive Yuki's brother for that one. _Ever_.

The adults continued to stare, this time looking as if they were amazed she was still alive. "Woman, I don't think this is a good idea," Vegeta finally said.

"Oh come on, Vegeta, it probably doesn't happen all the time," Bulma refuted.

"May I remind you she was chased by burglars today," Vegeta brought up.

"Then we can have Yamcha help."

"That's not going to help any!"

"Right here, you know," Yamcha muttered under his breath.

Bulma sighed. "Look, Vegeta, I trust both of them," she stated. "Trunks will be fine; have faith." He rolled his eyes.

 _I hope you realize he's only concerned, Bulma,_ Kat thought. Then she sat up straight. _Wait a minute..._ She put on an impish grin. "He's only saying that because he _cares_ , Bulma," she spoke aloud.

Vegeta whipped around to face her. "I don't!" he argued.

Finally having the upper hand, Kat gave off a smug look. "You're so full of crap," she countered. "You totally care. Guess you do have a heart."

He zipped over to her, glaring down at her and a scowl present. "I don't have a heart!" he shouted.

Kat did a fake gasp of surprise. "You mean to tell me you don't care for your son's well-being?" she questioned. "Your own flesh and blood?"

"I didn't say that!"

She pretended to check her nails. "You implied it, and that's good enough for me." Vegeta struggled to find words to counter. He ended up huffing, crossing his arms, and looking away. "Bulma's right, by the way. Sometimes I don't have that bad luck. I know I've been kind of a Debby Downer, but maybe this'll be a good night." She smiled, a flash of determination in her eyes. "Yamcha and I _will_ take good care of Trunks, you'll see."

"That's the spirit!" Yamcha chimed in. "Don't worry about a thing, Vegeta!"

"I'M NOT-" Vegeta took a deep frustrated breath. "Whatever," he grumbled before storming off to get changed. Kat began to laugh. "Oh shut up!"

"I really wish I had a camera for that!" the small girl laughed.

With that, Bulma went to go change, and Kat decided to do so as well. She was glad she could finally walk through Capsule Corp. without someone having to guide her the entire way. There were still parts of the residence she didn't quite get, but she had the most important stuff almost committed to memory. The first floor was the recreation stuff: the living room, the kitchen, a game room, a door that led to the outside pool, and an entry to the indoor garden. The second floor had another living room and kitchen (which, with Vegeta's appetite, she wasn't surprised there was a second kitchen in the least), Dr. Briefs and Bulma's individual labs (which was the other reason of why she believed there was another kitchen; they probably stayed in there until morning), and the gravity room. Needless to say, that was the floor she spent the most time on. The third floor was where all the bedrooms were, and they created a circle around the lounge in the middle. The fourth and fifth floors were the only floors she hadn't really spent any time on, but apparently it was a mix of the second and third floors.

Rich people.

Bulma had sort of given a room to Kat since she came to Capsule Corp. so often. It was only one door away from hers and Vegeta's (she still couldn't understand how Bulma managed to coax him in), but there was so much space in between the two rooms that it felt like they were two rooms apart. She would say three, but the rooms were huge, being about the size of a classroom plus some. Still, she preferred it to her small room at her actual house, which sometimes made her feel claustrophobic. Even the closet was huge - being a walk-in - while the one in her actual room was so small it barely held everything she stored in it, and what she had wasn't that much. Meanwhile, the only thing she had in the gigantic closet was her workout outfit: an orange tank top and black yoga capris. She quickly changed into it, kicking off her shoes and socks in the process, and decided to bring her other clothes into the laundry room. On her way over, Kat found that Vegeta was heading in the same direction for probably the same reason. He must have heard her, because he turned his head. It went back the way it was facing seconds later. "You might as well move in if you're going to act like you live here," he commented.

Kat smiled and made her steps a little quicker to match his stride. He was wearing a blue button-up shirt with a white one underneath, tan pants, and black...sneakers. Well, she couldn't expect him to completely dress up. "Hey, I'm just using your services because Bulma lets me," she replied. She wadded up her clothes and threw them into the dirty hammer like a basketball, hitting nothing but net. Vegeta rolled his eyes as he always did at human actions before dropping his clothes in. "Vegeta, I know it's going to be hard, but please don't talk about fighting when you're with my mom," Kat suddenly brought up. "And I mean _nothing_ about it. The Saiyans, the gravity room, Goku. None of it. Just act like you're human and you've lived here your whole life. Please?"

He looked at her, noting that she was completely serious. "Very well," he agreed. "But I better not hear any complaining from you for the next week. Fair?"

"Fair." Her mom was pretty hard to deal with; his compromise wasn't ridiculous.

The two made it back down to the first floor, where Bulma, who was holding Trunks, was giving Yamcha instructions. Bulma was wearing a nice strapless blue dress with white flats. Around her neck was a string of powder blue pearls, and she had similar earrings to match. Her blue hair, which had once been in a ponytail, was now down and full of beautiful curls. Not that Vegeta seemed to care, which Kat had started to get used to. Bulma noticed the two fighters walking in, and her eyes changing direction made Yamcha follow the path. He looked like he had been dragged through the mud. Kat assumed it was because the blue haired woman had given him some sort of lecture, and she gulped, waiting for her own. "Ah, there you are," she stated as she walked over. Bulma handed her son over to Kat, along with a sheet of paper. "So here's a list of everything you have to do."

"Why didn't you tell me about that?!" Yamcha cried. Trunks laughed and clapped his hands at the man's stupefied face.

Kat had to conceal her own laughter. "Thanks, Bulma," she replied as she took the paper.

"And call me if you need anything, okay?" Bulma told her.

"Right."

Bulma smiled. "Good. Now, your mom should be here-" Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "That's probably her." She quickly scanned Vegeta over and rolled her eyes. "Really? You couldn't pick _any_ other shoes?" Vegeta shrugged, and Bulma huffed, deciding not to argue. She went to the door and opened it up. "Ah, you must be Kagari, right?"

"Yes, that would be me," Kat's mom confirmed. She was wearing a plain gray dress that went down to her knees, and on her feet were black sandal-like high heels. Plain and boring, as always, just like her boyfriend standing right-

_Shit!_

"Two weeks," she heard Vegeta hiss.

Kat sighed. "Yes, sir," she answered.

"It's finally nice to meet you," Bulma said to Kagari, extending her hand. Kat barely caught the strain in her voice.

"Same to you," Kagari responded, shaking the outstretched hand. "This is my boyfriend, Blaise. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Bulma stated.

"Speak for yourself," Vegeta muttered.

"Sorry," Kat whispered.

Bulma turned around. "Come on, Vegeta, we're going," she instructed. Vegeta walked over, restraining the urge to grunt and roll his eyes.

"Oh, is this your husband?" Kagari asked.

The young girl could just see the hesitation in both of them. Knowing she would probably get in some sort of trouble by Vegeta for her sudden idea, she quickly walked up to the four adults and blurted out, "Yes!" All of them looked at her, and for once she felt immense pressure to get this lie right. "I mean, they married only a few months ago, so it's still kind of new to them, and they kind of...weren't on the best of terms before they dated."

"Ya, ya!" Trunks cheered.

It was probably the baby's cheers that made the whole scene less awkward. Bulma giggled. "Well, she's not wrong," she stated.

Kagari smiled, and Kat sighed inwardly in relief. "Shall we, then?" she suggested.

"I agree, I'm getting hungry," Blaise voiced.

Bulma motioned them to lead the way, and when the two turned around Bulma looked at Kat. "Take good care of Trunks now," she instructed. Kat nodded, and then she mouthed, "Thank you" before walking after them, Vegeta a step behind the blue haired woman. He turned his head to look back at Kat, but instead of glaring, he actually nodded. Kat stared at him with wide eyes before she finally closed the door.

Kat groaned. "The night hasn't even started, and I'm already exhausted!" she cried as she walked over to Yamcha.

"Ah, come on, it wasn't that bad," the man assured. "You're a pretty good liar."

"I was kind of afraid it wouldn't work," Kat admitted as she sat on the couch, bouncing Trunks in her lap. He seemed to get a kick out of it. "And I'm afraid Vegeta is gonna kill me when he gets back for implying that he even remotely likes Bulma."

"Not kill; he'll probably just say something about it," Yamcha replied as he softly rubbed the small tuff of purple hair. Trunks laughed. "Though, why did you need to lie, anyway? Why can't you just tell them what you're here for?"

She gave off a sad smile. "See, the truth is Mom doesn't like Martial Arts," she began.

"But like everyone else on the planet, she thinks Mr. Satan is the best thing since sliced bread," Yamcha huffed.

"Wow, you must be psychic or something," Kat joked sarcastically. Yamcha laughed. "Anyway, if it wasn't already obvious, I do. So I have to train behind her back, which is why we're here babysitting the half breed." Trunks cheered at his mentioning, and Kat wondered if he would have even if she said it with negative intentions. Not that she ever would. It was just a thought.

"Now things kind of make sense," Yamcha stated. "I was wondering why your grandmother lied in the first- wait, how does your grandmother know but not your mom?"

"Gran Gran's the one who got me into Martial Arts," the girl explained. "She's the one who had the Tournament videos, and she gave them to me to watch. I can trust her with just about anything."

"Well that's good," the man sighed. "It seems like your mom's a handful, though. I swear if looks could kill, she and her boyfriend would be dead 50 times over just from Vegeta's glare."

Kat had been too busy focusing on her mother and her probably soon-to-be stepfather to notice anything about her teacher other than his very annoyed voice. In fact, she had kind of forgotten Yamcha had existed when the business pair entered. "Yamcha, do you have invisibility powers?" she randomly asked.

"No." He smiled. "But I can blend into the background quite nicely."

"That's sounds like an insult to yourself. I don't see why you should be smiling," Kat pointed out.

"I affectionately refer to it as 'stealth mode'." _Mental note,_ Kat thought. _Tell Vegeta about this "stealth mode". He'll probably get a kick out of it._

She knew that was evil, but what could she say? Vegeta was piling on some really bad habits; bad habits that, admittedly, she already had.

Despite the rocky start with her mom standing in the doorway, the night went really well. After an hour it finally clicked in Kat's head that she was with the Tournament fighter Yamcha. Yeah, compared to Vegeta he was nothing more than a normal man, and even compared to his friends he was a pushover. Hell, the man never made it past the quarterfinals, ever. But compared to the normal man, he was one of the toughest in the world, easily able to outlast the normal man in a fight. It occurred to her that she was talking with this man, laughing, teasing and getting teased back, telling stories, playing with Trunks...and she was doing it so casually, like she always been in his presence and it was just a normal day.

Then again, Kat had that same feeling for two months now.

It was so easy for her to run into the residence after school or on the weekends or even during the days of her unluckiest season and throw her backpack on the couch. It was so easy to make it to the third floor and change. It was so easy to go into the GR and train with Vegeta, to talk, to argue, to tease, when admittedly she should have been scared. With one finger he could kill her, maybe even the whole city - hell - the entire planet if he desired. And yet it was as if she was poking Mitsumi's buttons, or chasing down Yuki, or staring at her principal with no trace of fear. The familiarity of it all was part of the reason Bulma had a room for her now, like she had always belonged.

Her questions were the only things that reminded her she was the new kid.

"Yamcha, what was it like when you first met Vegeta?" she asked at some point.

The man turned to look at her. He was currently feeding Trunks, the baby now on his ninth can of peaches. He definitely had a Saiyan's appetite. "We actually knew he was coming," Yamcha explained. "See, Goku had a brother, which was when we learned Goku's actually an alien. His brother had threatened Earth, so Goku and Piccolo took him on. And right before the guy died, he told those two that Vegeta and his other comrade had overheard everything on these communication devices and would come to Earth. So we trained, not that it helped much. That other guy, Nappa...man, he was tough. From what I heard, it was like getting two full sized skyscrapers hitting you in the face. And even then, that guy was afraid of Vegeta. He towered over Vegeta, and he was still afraid of him!"

Kat tried to imagine some tall, buff-looking dude cowering at one of Vegeta's infamous scowls. Ones that Kat matched with either a smirk or a scowl of her own.

"Anyway, Vegeta was about the same there as he is now, the only difference being that he was evil," Yamcha continued. "Proud, arrogant, cruel, but nowadays more grumpy than anything. And I guess Bulma thinks there's some good in him. I kind of saw a flash of it once, but other than that...I just don't get it."

That wasn't surprising. Those who weren't around Vegeta long enough didn't catch the glimpses of gestures that were Vegeta's strange way of caring. Whenever Kat did something good, he blinked once; it took her a few times to notice it, but she did. If she did something he wasn't expecting, he blinked twice and stopped before stretching out his fingers. Kat had accidentally caught him sliding fingers down Bulma's shoulder or neck, and sometimes if she was lucky, Kat would spy him running fingers through the blue hair like they were strings on a harp. Trunks, too, received some of his strange affections, and Kat noticed it was that Vegeta would stay around. If Trunks happened to catch his father's pinkie in his small grasp, Vegeta would wait for his son to finish marveling at it before his tiny hand let go.

 _You just have to dig a bit deeper than most people._ It was Kat's ever-lasting mantra to describe the Saiyan Prince.

"Why do you ask?" Yamcha inquired.

"I'm just curious," Kat replied as she watched another spoonful go up to the baby's mouth, barely missing its mark. Seriously, did the kid want to wear peach juice like war paint? "He's an interesting guy, and I like to know people's reactions to him." Yamcha chuckled. "He kind of reminds me of a war veteran, you know? Those guys who have all these stories and experiences that you just can't grasp without their words? But what's even more amazing about him is that he isn't limited to one continent, or even one planet. He's literally traveled the universe! He says I won't be getting details of his life, not any time soon, but I _will_ get those answers one day. You don't come across a guy with stories more out there than him."

Yamcha chuckled again. "That's definitely true," he agreed. He looked at Trunks. "Your daddy is one interesting guy, isn't he?"

"Da, da!" Trunks exclaimed, giggling with glee.

No matter how many times Vegeta called him a brat, Kat had the feeling Trunks was going to look up to his dad like there was no other equal.

The night trudged on, and Kat wondered how much longer the adults were going to be out. She wouldn't be thinking this, though, if she were watching anything other than _Dora the Explorer_. It was a mystery as to why she was. First off, Trunks was _not_ a girl, and Kat believed the show to be something little girls watched. Secondly, she hated this show; even when she was little she couldn't stand how she would guess answers with ease but the characters continued to ask as if she had been hit on the head one too many times. Third, even _Trunks_ seemed bored. The one that this was supposed to entertain, and _he was bored_. Though, it kind of made sense, seeing as how his mother was a scientific genius and his father was a tactical powerhouse. Yamcha, meanwhile, had gone to the bathroom, and Kat briefly wondered if he would camp out there. She knew she would. "Hey, Trunks," she said, the boredom seeping into her voice, "wanna go scare Yamcha?"

She didn't really mean it, but once Trunks shouted, "Ya, ya!" she smirked. Finally, something to do! She was so glad Trunks was easy to understand...even if sometimes he didn't make complete sense in his communications. She shut off the TV and held Trunks in her arms, but as soon as she stood up, the power went out.

"Ugh, fantastic," she muttered. "A power outage. Maybe _finally_ everyone will get-" She looked out the window. "...Home."

Kat had figured it was a citywide power outage. No way had the fuses for the electricity burnt out. It was _Capsule Corp._ for crying out loud! Bulma checked those things five times a day. But her thoughts weren't reality. The city was still billowing out light pollution like they were smoke stacks on a factory. So had the fuses really blown out?

Then, for whatever reason, goosebumps formed on the back of Kat's neck. It was the same kind of feeling she got when Cell had slurped up his victims in Gingertown. That creeping, seizing fear that made her want to check over her shoulder every five minutes just to make sure a monster didn't jump out of the shadows and drag her away.

Had someone cut off their electricity?

And was that someone...in the house?

The thought of it made her swallow hard. No matter how much weaker than Vegeta Yamcha was, she needed that man by her side. No amount of Vegeta's taunts that were ringing through her head was going to change her mindset.

If Vegeta had been there, he would have seen the nine-year-old girl Kat really was.

"Yamcha?" she whispered in fear as she slowly walked down the darkened hall to the bathroom. Her bare feet barely made any noise as she moved, and she held Trunks close to her chest, while the small boy had fistfuls of her orange tank top in his tiny grasps.

"Yama? Yama?" he repeated just as quietly, still not getting his name completely right.

Eventually the two finally made it to their destination, only to find the room empty. "Don't tell me he can go into the basement," she muttered. Only Bulma and her father had access to the floor below, unless there was some secret staircase she didn't know about. "There wouldn't happen to be a staircase to the basement?" Trunks looked up at her, confusion clear on his face. Kat momentarily forgot her fears as she huffed. "Why the hell am I asking the baby?" She was about to begin walking again when she heard the sound of footsteps above her head. She jumped, and the two squeaked. "I-it's probably not the best idea to go upstairs, but maybe that's Yamcha...I hope."

Against all of the screaming voices in her head telling her this was a bad idea, Kat climbed the stairs to the next floor. Her ears pushed to their limit and her body tense, the two children began to call out the fighter's name again, stopping by the bathroom just in case he had actually gone to the second floor to take care of business. "Na, na!" Trunks cried.

"I know, Trunks, he isn't on this floor either," Kat stated. "So then whose footsteps-" Once more, feet were heard above their heads, and again they squeaked. "I-is he up on the third floor?"

"Go, go!" Trunks ordered.

Once again defying the voices, Kat now made her way to the third floor, and halfway up, she heard a haunting _SLUMP_. Kat froze, and after a while she heard a voice. "Still the same weakling as ever," she snorted before walking farther from the stairs.

Kat was simultaneously having a "seriously, you got beaten by a woman" and "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON" moment. Soon the former faded, completely overtaken by the fact that Kat realized there was an intruder in the house.

Summer. It was her unluckiest season.

She suddenly remembered her backpack with her allowance money in it. Yeah, sure, at the moment that was probably the last thing she should have been thinking about, but damn it she worked hard to earn that zeni! So with cautious steps she made her way up the stairs, trying her best to ignore the unconscious Yamcha on the floor. Holding Trunks tighter, she zipped through the floor and her way to her room, slipping quietly inside. She went right to the closet and opened it up, pleased to see her old friend still there. Trunks in one arm, she bent down and opened up the front pouch, sighing in relief when she noticed all of her hard earned money was still there. With that issue resolved, she went to hide her backpack in the secret compartment she discovered three days before, passing by her shoes as she did. "I can still move around quietly with them," Kat decided. "I'm going to need the extra kicking power."

Although, she hoped she wouldn't have to do any fighting at all.

Slipping out once more, Kat began to move back to the stairs. She already prided herself with being as quiet as a mouse, but once again Vegeta swooped in to make her even better than usual. It was funny, though. When he was teaching her to be even quite than she already was, he pointed out the irony of her name. "Cats can be silent, too!" she had barked.

Vegeta, as usual, put on his smirk. "But the phrase is 'quiet as a mouse', isn't it?" he had replied. "I thought a mouse was a cat's prey."

He was annoying.

Though, right now, he wasn't exactly wrong. Kat felt like the mouse, nervously twitching in fear that the feline would come out of the corner and pounce, catching the two in her claws. The hall felt longer than normal as she continuously feared the strange intruder who could pop up- "Ump, ump!" Trunks suddenly cried, pointing up. Kat followed his finger and barely had time to jump out of the way of the woman who descended.

"Annoying brat," the woman hissed when she landed, and she turned to face Kat. The woman was about as tall as Yamcha, and she had curly, thick blonde hair. Her eyes were emerald green, and they were just as piercing as Vegeta's. But what concerned Kat the most was her outfit: a threatening orange jumpsuit.

Oooh noooo.

"I would have had my way of the house if he had just kept quiet," the escaped criminal continued with a growl. Then she smirked. "But I guess it can't be helped. I'll deal with what I have been given."

"Wh-who are you?" Kat demanded, getting into a defensive position.

The woman snorted. "I can't believe this world has forgotten my name," she said. "That's what happens when you're stuck in a hellhole for 16 years."

"Whatever you did, you brought it upon yourself," Kat pointed out, her voice tight. She knew she shouldn't have been talking back to the free jailbird, but the small girl had a tendency to play with fire.

"Well don't you have a tongue," the blonde haired intruder spat. She sneered. "Fine. If you must know, my name is Hasky, Master Thief. That buffoon you saw slumped over helped put me in prison all those years ago, along with a little brat with a tail."

Goku. She was an old enemy of Goku's, and now Kat had to deal with the leftovers. Wonderful. "Yeah, well my name is Kat," she replied, "and you're trespassing onto private property. So I suggest you leave before things turn sour for you."

"Ya, ya!" Trunks agreed.

Hasky laughed. "Please, little girl, do you honestly think you can scare me?" she asked. "I've made men twice my height cry." Kat growled. "Now, if I were you, I would hand over that boy nice and easy."

"You won't lay a hand on Trunks, understand?!" Kat barked.

"I beg to differ," the thief told her. "Imagine the price his mother would pay to have his safe return."

Kat growled again. "If you want him or anything from Capsule Corp., you'll have to go through me!" she declared.

Her opponent sneered with delight. "Then this should be easy," she decided. And she lunged.

But Kat was ready. She dipped a little and angled a kick right at Hasky's stomach. There was an audible gasp, and the thief flew back from the force. Kat watched as the woman curled up and tried to regain her breath. She used that time to run back to the stairs and down them. Now on the second floor, she ran for the stairs that would lead her to the bottom. "Sta, sta, sta!" Trunks suddenly shouted.

His babysitter grunted. "I can't stop now, Trunks, she'll catch us!" she argued.

"Sta, sta, sta!" he repeated.

Groaning, she did as he wanted. " _What_?" she demanded, feeling like his father.

Trunks pointed to his right. "Gra ro, gra ro!"

"Gra...ro?" That one was new. But when she followed his finger, she understood. "The GR?" Sure, it was the only room that had power. Vegeta didn't want a blackout of the entire house to interrupt their training, so he had Bulma make the gravity and control rooms have their own power source. But what was that going to do for them? She looked back at the baby. "What about it?" Trunks clapped, and Kat groaned. "Trunks, what do you want me to do with the gravity room?" He clapped again, and she felt a vein coming forward in her forehead. "This is what I get for trying to take advice from a baby," she grumbled. Seriously, the way he communicated made no...

Wait...how he communicated.

His clapping was a way of telling her his idea, but what did it mean?

"Trunks, what do you want me to do with the gravity room?" she asked again. He clapped a third time, his tiny hands closing in on each other. _Closing..._ "Wait. Close the GR?" He made his noise of approval. "But why close the GR? There's nothing in there Hasky could want-"

No.

But what if she closed Hasky _in_ the gravity room!

Her face brightened. "Trunks, you're a genius!" she exclaimed. He cheered. "Now, I'm going to drop you off at your mommy's lab. There's a high chair there, but I want you to be super quiet, okay?" She shifted him so he was in one arm and brought a finger to her lips. He nodded. "Good." As quickly as she could she ran to Bulma's lab and strapped Trunks into the highchair. Then she grabbed the key that was on the table. "Quiet, alright? I'll be back as fast as I can." She smiled. "Be strong. Be your father's son." He grinned at the mention of his dad, and with one last look she closed the door and locked it behind her. "Now, I hope this works." She ran to the control room and began furiously typing in commands. Bulma initially never told Vegeta and Kat about the control room, but Vegeta had stumbled upon it two weeks back, furious at how he realized how the woman had been able to stop their training prematurely. After an intense argument, he actually won for once, and Bulma promised to never do it again unless circumstances required them to stop and taught them how it worked.

Now Kat was glad Vegeta had won.

The controls inside the GR were locked and the two-way speaker was turned on. She made sure the computer was in voice recognition mode and in standby to take commands, and once she made sure everything was in the correct settings, she exited the room. She closed the door and began to walk towards the GR. "Brat!" Kat whipped around to find a very pissed off Hasky. The thief growled. "Where's the boy?"

"If you want him, you have to catch me first!" Kat challenged before turning back around and taking off. She heard Hasky close on her heels, but Kat darted into the gravity room. The thief jumped in after her, watching as the young girl realized she had nowhere to go.

"Game over, brat!" she hissed. Kat whipped around, and Hasky put on a cat-like grin before slowly edging towards her. "You're mine now!"

But unlike earlier that day, Kat didn't have a look of fear, and she wasn't backing up. When Hasky was about two or three feet away, Kat smirked. The woman stopped, confused. "No, you're _mine_ ," Kat retorted. Then, with authority, she shouted, "Computer, set gravity levels to twice Earth's!"

"ACTIVATING GRAVITY SIMULATION," the robotic voice crackled through the speakers. There was a beep, and suddenly Hasky was struggling to stand.

"Wh-what is-"

Kat chuckled and leapt into the air, doing a series of twirls before landing on her feet behind Hasky. If there was one thing Vegeta taught her, it was to show off her power when she could. The blonde haired woman slowly turned around to meet the smug face of the nine-year-old. "Welcome to the gravity room, Master Thief Hasky!" Kat greeted as she bowed to her. "We simulate gravity effects in here, and I can assure you it doesn't feel pleasant."

Hasky growled. "You... _you_ -"

"Trust me, lady, you brought this upon yourself," Kat spat. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

"You're not going anywhere!" Hasky roared, and much like Kat she showed how easy double normal gravity could be.

"Crap," Kat muttered before jumping out of the way. Hasky followed her, and the two females fought furiously. _I'll admit, she's pretty good, even though this is nothing what she's used to,_ Kat thought as she blocked a kick. _I would spar with her more, but the adults could be back any minute, and I promised Trunks I'd be back soon._ She did a one-two combo before jumping away from the livid thief. "Computer, set gravity levels to three times Earth's!" The computer confirmed her commands, and there was another beep before more weight was added onto their shoulders. Hasky slumped to the floor. "You fight pretty good," Kat admitted. "It would be a bad idea to call the police when you could jump up and ram right through them."

"So what? You gonna knock me out, kid?" the thief questioned. "I've told you, I've made men three times your size crumble to their knees. I'll admit you're skilled, but what are you going to be able to do to me?"

Kat stared, trying to think. And then a wonderfully evil idea came to mind. "I'll call the army," she stated as she began to walk out of the GR.

The thief laughed. "Kid, the king isn't going to send his troops just because some burglar broke in," she replied.

She stopped at the doorframe and turned her head. The look on her face made Hasky think she had won, until another smirk appeared on the girl's face. "Who said it was the king's?" she asked hauntingly.

...

Vegeta was _done_. _OVER_. He had it with this stupid couple that sat across from him. Okay, they were actually pretty intelligent...when it was anything with business. But social cues? Even _he_ was better than them, and he was an ex-space soldier for a tyrant!

When they got home, he swore to everything holy Bulma was going to pay with everything she could, and the only reason why he knew she wouldn't kill him for it was because she liked to be ravaged.

Suddenly Bulma's phone rang, and Kagari allowed the blue haired woman to look at who it was. It was lucky she did. "It's Kat," Bulma noted. Vegeta watched as her violet eyes rolled, and he resisted the urge to scowl... _again_. Did the woman seriously have no faith in her daughter?

_Did I ever mention summer is my unluckiest season?_

...Maybe she had a point for once.

"Vegeta, it's actually for you," Bulma informed. Vegeta looked at her curiously but took the phone anyway and left the table.

" _What_?" he snarled.

"Whoa, hostile," Kat responded.

His empty hand curled into a fist. "Kat, I'm not in the mood for any of your attitude," he warned. "I would bump it up to three weeks, but the woman would kill me. Besides, I think she can handle her own slice of punishment."

"Well that sounds ominous," the girl stated. He growled. "Anyway, I figured you were getting really sick of my mom, so Trunks and I have something special for you."

"Ya, ya!" he heard his son exclaim.

 _Anything is better than this,_ Vegeta decided. "What it is?" he asked dryly.

"Well, there's this burglar-" His eyebrows shot up. "-and she's trapped in the GR right now. I would call the police, but she's a feisty one. I wouldn't be surprised if, as soon as I turn off the gravity, she'd have all of them seeing stars."

"And how does this involve me?" he inquired.

"I told her I'd call in the army," Kat replied. Vegeta was confused. "What I didn't tell her, though, is that I was going to call in a _one_ man army."

"I still don't-" It clicked. "Oh." He smirked. "Oooh. Clever. But where's the beta male?"

He could just see Kat rolling her eyes. "Seriously, that's your nickname for him?" she questioned dully. There was silence. "Then again, he _is_ unconscious on the third floor."

Typical. First the Saibaman, and now a female human. "Alright, I'll get out of here," he told her.

"Cool, but take as much time as you need. You have _no_ idea how amusing it is to see this chick snarling at me like a dog." Trunks laughed, agreeing with her, and then she hung up.

Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle. "He's a Saiyan, alright," he said aloud. "And she acts like one." Then he walked back to the table, six pairs of eyes watching him as he approached. "Kat needs me for something," he explained as he handed the phone back to Bulma.

Kagari sighed. Really, her lack of faith was borderline offensive, even for his standards. He even heard her mutter under her breath, "Why am I not surprised?" His eyes twitched. "We'll leave, then. Clearly she can't handle such a responsibility."

"Actually, it's not that big of a deal," Vegeta stated as calmly as he could. "It's quite small, but she wants me there just in case."

Bulma didn't quite know what was going on, but she decided to back Vegeta up. "Really, Kagari, whatever it is, it's nothing Kat can't handle," she assured. "But if she's unsure about something, I see no problem in letting Vegeta go look at it. The two of them could find their way out of an air tight submarine."

The unfaithful mother looked right into Bulma's eyes. "Very well," she finally agreed. Vegeta nodded and was about to go before the annoying couple gave him skeptical looks.

They were waiting for him to say something to Bulma.

 _If Kat thought today was tough, she has no idea what's in store tomorrow,_ Vegeta growled in his head. Throughout the entire night her lie rang in his head, as did the feeling when she said it. He hadn't like it. Saiyan mates didn't care for each other that much, the very most showing mutual respect. But when Kat lied that the two were connected in a much deeper way, his heart had jumped...in a good way.

Extra training. Extra training was in order for the little liar.

"I'll see you at home," he said, and only Bulma noticed the slight force. He saw the laughter in her eyes, and now she was asking for more punishment, too. Even worse was that the couple seemed to want just one more thing. _Kat, you better damn appreciate me,_ he groaned.

Vegeta pecked the woman's temple.

It felt good.

Kat was so in for it.

Finally able to leave, he did, and he ducked into an alleyway before taking to the skies. He made it back to the yellow domed building in no time, and he noticed how all of the lights were out. Yet the GR was still functioning. "And the woman said I was being unreasonable," he told himself triumphantly. Luckily, the front door could be opened manually, so he didn't have to bust down the door. He quickly made his way to the control room, where Kat and his son were having a ball watching the woman shout out threats. "Well, looks like you two are having fun."

The children looked at him. "You can't even begin to _imagine_ ," Kat replied. "You missed it. She was all like, 'I'm going to tear you limb from limb, girl, and then that wench is going to give me her _entire_ company to get her son back!'" Trunks laughed at the reenactment.

"Woman must like to play with fire," he noted. Kat beamed, and then she turned on the microphone.

"Oh Hasky~" she sang. The intruder growled like a caged rabid dog. "The army's arrived. Hope you have some fight left." She switched the microphone off just as Hasky began to curse her out.

Vegeta smirked and walked over to the GR, unlocking it manually. He opened up the door just as Kat switched the gravity back to normal. Hasky sprang up, murder in her eyes. But when she saw Vegeta it softened to a slightly confused look. "Who are you?" she asked.

"So you studied the entire household to figure out who Bulma Briefs' son is and how to shut off power to the entire place, but you don't know me," Vegeta stated. He smirked. "Then allow me. The name's Vegeta, and that boy you've been threatening to kidnap, he's my son. That girl you've been yelling at about killing her, she's my student. This is my property, and I don't appreciate people who come in here uninvited."

Hasky bristled. "And are you this 'army' I've been hearing about?" she inquired. He smirked wider, and she spat. "Pitiful. I've told that girl I've taken on bigger men before; you don't scare me."

The only reason he didn't immediately knock her out to put her in her place was because he needed stress relief. "Then I will make you," he promised. The threatening sound of his voice clearly shook her, and he was a little disappointed. With how this thief built herself up with her snarls and threats, he didn't expect her to cower more than his infant son. Still, he decided to spar.

When in the heat of battle, the woman was admittedly strong, but she was absolutely nothing compared to the Saiyan. He completely toyed with her, until finally all that built up stress had mostly dissipated. Bulma, he figured, would take care of the rest. Finally deciding to end the woman's torture, he made a swift chop to her neck, and she was out like a light.

"Thanks, Vegeta!" Kat's voice called out through the speaker.

"Da, da!" Trunks exclaimed. He smirked.

A few minutes later the police showed up, Hasky now in their possession. Kat sighed in relief. "Man, glad that's over," she said.

"Perhaps babysitting and summer aren't the best mix for you," Vegeta pondered. Trunks made a sound of denial; apparently he seemed to enjoy the burglar roaming their house. Suddenly Yamcha zipped into the yard by their side.

"Where is she?!" he shouted. "I'm going to get that woman, I swear!"

"Yamcha, the enthusiasm is appreciated, but it's already been handled," Kat informed.

He looked surprised. "Really?" "She was knocked out by Vegeta because I led her into the GR," she explained. Vegeta smirked at him, to which Yamcha frowned. Then Kat suddenly held Trunks up, beaming. "But it wouldn't have been possible without Trunks!"

"Trunks?" both men repeated.

The girl nodded. "He's the one who came up with the plan," she stated. Trunks giggled in delight.

"Wow," Yamcha replied, impressed. "Guess he really is who we should turn to when it comes to burglars."

"To be fair, his mom's a genius and his dad's a tactician." Vegeta smirked wider at her three-way compliment, not even acknowledging that she had indeed been wrong. He watched as she smiled. "Trunks is a pretty good-"

Scratch babysitting and summer. In general, Kat and summer didn't mix.

Now drenched in urine, the girl looked positively peeved. "Take the baby," she ordered to Yamcha, deadpan. "I'm going to take a shower, and if Mom gets back before I'm done," she held out a middle finger, "tell her in the politest way possible to _twirl it_." And she stormed back to the building. Vegeta couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, shut up!"

"I should have had a camera!" he called after her. Kat cried out in frustration.


	6. Beach Blues

"Amusement park?" Yuki offered.

"No, we did that Monday," Mitsumi waved off. The room fell silent. "The library?"

"Some place _fun_ ," Kat declined. Silence again covered the room. "A museum?"

"That's just as bad as the library!" Yuki cried.

"Untrue, a museum can be fun," Kat argued.

Yuki rolled his eyes. "And what museum would we go to, a Martial Arts one?" he mocked. "You know, where they replaced everything with the wonder of wonders, Mr. Satan?"

"First off, I wasn't going to suggest a Martial Arts museum," Kat replied. Her friend snorted, and Kat rolled her eyes. "Second, at least I'm thinking of new ideas. For the wanna be fashion designer and musician, you're damn boring."

The green haired boy glared. "What's new about a museum?" he questioned. "We do that every year."

"Which is why we should go," the black haired girl pointed out.

While the two argued about the museum idea, Mitsumi was thinking of other ideas. Of course, in the end, they probably wouldn't care what they did. Summer vacation was three weeks away from ending, and they wanted to do something together since they hadn't been able to do so the entire vacation. This year, though, both Mitsumi and Yuki didn't feel as guilty about that. Kat seemed really happy training with Vegeta, even though they would hear constant complaining. But that didn't mean the three didn't want to do anything at all together, which was how they found themselves sitting in Mitsumi's room before Kat had to run off to Capsule Corp. Well, Mitsumi was sitting; she loved the new fluffy beanbag her aunt had gotten for her. Kat, as usual, was lying on Mitsumi's bed with her head hanging off the edge, meaning everything looked upside down. And Yuki was leaning against her mahogany desk, because God forbid he actually uses a chair.

"I'm just saying that the park would be so much more fun," Yuki stated.

"What are we, five?" Kat retorted. "Not everyone is a five-year-old stuck in a twelve-year-old's body."

"Yeah? Well, not everyone is a 'genius' trapped in a little girl's body."

"If you didn't want to feel so dumb, maybe you shouldn't have made friends with the smart girls."

Mitsumi sighed as the nine-year-old and the twelve-year-old switched their argument to something completely different. "And these are my friends," she muttered. She went to pick up the sci-fi book she had been reading when she noticed her swimsuit hadn't been put away. _Oh, that's right,_ Mitsumi remembered. _I was almost done putting my laundry away when they came over. I got distracted and-_ Suddenly she had an idea, and she sprang to her feet. "That's it!" she exclaimed.

Her arguing friends looked to her. "What's it?" Yuki asked.

"Let's go to the beach!" Mitsumi declared.

Kat raised an eyebrow. "Mitsumi, both you and Yuki have been to the beach at least twice this summer," she pointed out.

"True, but we haven't been to the beach with _you_ ," Mitsumi countered. "And I bet you haven't gone this entire vacation."

"May I remind you what happened last year when we went to the beach," Kat stated.

Yuki laughed. "Yeah, and with your luck this summer, it'll be even worse!" he agreed.

"What else was there besides the Master Thief incident?" Mitsumi inquired.

They both raised eyebrows. "When I got ripped off three days in a row trying to buy lunch," the girl responded.

"Or when Vegeta kicked her so hard she cracked the wall," Yuki added.

"Or when-"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Mitsumi interrupted. "So her luck hasn't been the best this summer, but we won't know if anything will happen if we don't go."

The two looked at each other, and then at the brown haired girl. "Fine, you have a point," Kat surrendered. "But we should have an adult with us, and aren't both of your parents unavailable?"

That was true. And, of course, they couldn't ask Kagari, because like hell she would take them to the beach. "What about Bulma?" Yuki brought up.

"That's- ...Actually, that's a good idea," Kat realized. "I can ask."

"And if she can't do it, maybe her parents can," Mitsumi suggested.

Kat thought about that, too. "I think her father would be busy, but if Bulma really is unavailable, guess there isn't any harm."

"Of course, there's Vege-"

"Okay, I'm going stop you right there," Kat cut in, putting a hand in front of Yuki's face.

Both of her friends looked at her in confusion. "But why?" Mitsumi questioned. "Don't you like Vegeta?"

"Yeah, but I also like to go to the beach," the fighter stated. "If he takes us to the beach, we're going to end up getting banned from every beach ever for the rest of eternity."

Mitsumi sighed. "You don't know that he'll do anything to get us banned, Kat," she pointed out. The girl huffed. "What are you afraid he'll do, blow up half the beach because someone got sand in his hot dog?"

Suddenly Kat started panicking, thinking about such an event. "I think that's a yes," Yuki whispered to the older female.

The brown haired girl sighed again. "Fine, we won't ask Vegeta," she agreed.

"Smart girl," Kat praised in a serious tone.

...

"So, you three want to go to the beach sometime this week?" Bulma repeated.

"Yeah," Kat said. "I was hoping you could take us."

Bulma thought about it, and then she looked at her planner. Kat was amazed the woman had one. With how messy her desk was and how there were parts and boxes of parts scattered throughout the lab, the girl believed Bulma just didn't bother with a schedule, preferring to keep it all in her head. "Just as I thought," Bulma sighed. "Sorry, Kat, but I'm all booked this week. I have conferences and board meetings to attend." She smiled. "But I'm free the next two weeks for the most part."

"That's not possible," Kat replied. "Yuki and his family are going on a road trip next week, and Mitsumi's parents don't like her doing anything for the last week of summer. This week's all we got."

The blue haired woman frowned. "I'm sorry. Have you tried asking my parents?"

"I ran into Dr. Briefs on the way to your lab, so I figured I'd ask," she explained. "But he said he was too busy, and your mother is going with him. So, long story short, they can't."

"Well that's a bummer," Bulma stated. Then she giggled. "And I can guess why you don't want ask Vegeta."

"All of those people...over a simple hot dog," she muttered in slight fear.

Bulma laughed. "I hear ya," she said. "But speaking of Vegeta, I think I've held you here long enough. I don't want you to be late; you know how he gets."

Kat nodded. "Right," she agreed, and she ran out to head to the GR, waving to Bulma as she did.

As she and Vegeta trained at 15 times normal gravity (Vegeta insisted they start increasing by 5 each time they moved to a new level), Kat wondered how she was going to tell her friends about the news. She knew they would be disappointed, but hopefully they could accept it and roll with the punches. The girl also knew she would have to lie to them about Vegeta, and she knew she had to work on it until it was absolutely perfect. They were the only people who could see through her lies...well, they _used_ to be the only people. "Alright, what are you thinking about?" Vegeta huffed.

"Huh?" Kat responded, not quiet catching what he had said because she had been too absorbed in thought.

"I asked what you're thinking about," Vegeta repeated, an annoyed look on his face.

"Oh... I wasn't really thinking about anything important," she told him.

The man snorted. "Well, if it's not that important, why are you thinking about it?"

"It's just on my mind, I can't help it," Kat informed.

"What was on your mind?"

Now Kat was starting to get annoyed. "I told you, it's not important," she snapped. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"It interrupted training, that's why," Vegeta reasoned.

Kat grunted and crossed her arms. "Look, it's not like it has anything to do with you, so why don't you just drop it."

Mistake.

Vegeta smirked wickedly, to which Kat raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he stated. "I say you're lying."

She looked at him, her heart dropping into her stomach. "Why would you say that?" she asked, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

"I can tell when you're lying," he said. He glared, his smirk still present, and Kat felt a little unnerved. "And you know I don't appreciate lies."

 _Unless it's for your benefit,_ Kat thought. "Okay, so maybe you were involved in a way, but it's still unimportant, so we should just drop it," Kat argued.

"Now why would we do that?" Vegeta questioned smugly.

"Because _you're_ the one who didn't want training to be interrupted, and if my thoughts are _interrupting training_ , then we should _drop it_!" his student shouted.

Strangely, he didn't argue back. Instead he sighed, but he was still smirking, as if he had a plan. "Very well," he agreed. His agreement, though, had Kat a tad unsettled.

Training ended, and Kat was feeling apprehensive as she changed back into her normal outfit. As she walked back down to the first floor, she was kind of afraid of what Vegeta had in store. Though, when she made it to the floor, the man was just calmly watching TV. She lightly sighed in relief. "Oh, leaving already, Kat?" Bulma noticed. She and her mother were feeding Trunks, who looked happy to see the black haired girl.

Kat smiled at the two women and the one-year-old. "Yeah, but I'll see you guys tomorrow," she promised.

"I'm sorry we can't take you to the beach, dear," Mrs. Briefs apologized.

Vegeta's head slightly twitched. "Yeah, it really is, what a bummer," Kat replied, trying to keep her voice at a consistent pace.

Mrs. Briefs hummed in disappointment, and then she looked like she had an idea. "Why don't you ask Vegeta?" she exclaimed happily.

"Gotta go, bye!" But before Kat zipped even halfway to the door, Vegeta was behind her, the top strap of her backpack in his strong grip. "Vegeta, let go! I need to go!"

"Not yet," he said. "What's this about a beach?"

"It's not important!" Kat shouted.

Bulma's mother tilted her head in confusion. "It seemed very important earlier, dear," she pointed out.

"Really?" Vegeta stated, intrigued.

"She and her darling friends need someone to watch them while they go to the beach," Mrs. Briefs explained.

"Don't tell him!" Kat hissed. Suddenly she felt her feet lift off the floor, and she found herself looking into Vegeta's black eyes, which were shimmering with amusement. Kat gulped.

"So this is what you were thinking about," the man realized, hints of smugness in his voice. "Now, why is it such a crime to not tell me about this? Do you think the Prince of all Saiyans can't handle watching three children?"

"You'd blow up half the beach because the poor guy forgot to put onions on your hot dog!" Kat cried. "Look, my friends and I don't have to go to the beach. We can go next year! Maybe even over spring break! Please, Vegeta, just drop it and let me go."

Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to add the word "please".

"If you really don't want me to go, then perhaps you should beg a little more," Vegeta suggested with a smirk.

Kat's mouth flew open in disbelief. "Come on, dear, I think it's a good idea," Mrs. Briefs voiced.

Did she really have a choice? Even if she begged, Vegeta would still find a way to make her say yes. It was either give up with dignity in tack or give up with no dignity. She huffed. "Fine, you can take us to the stupid beach," she grumbled.

Vegeta smirked triumphantly and set her down. "There. Was that so hard?" he questioned.

The small girl grumbled. And right then and there, she took over planning. The safety of other beach goers was way more important than fairness. "Tomorrow. We're meeting at the end of 14th Street," she began. That definitely was the best spot. It had calmer waters, and even a platform out in the middle of a roped off area so the wildlife had a harder time getting in. "1 p.m. That's meeting time. I'm sure that'll give you time to eat here so we don't have a body count on our hands. Don't bring anything except whatever you want to entertain yourself with. And when I say entertainment, I mean nothing involving training. Music, a book, some sort of puzzle, I don't care, but _nothing_ to do with training."

"Very well," Vegeta agreed, looking quite pleased before walking off to do who-knows-what.

Kat groaned. "Aw, come on, Kat," Bulma said as she walked over to the girl. "Maybe it won't be as bad as you think."

She looked at the woman with a grumpy look. "I'm not looking forward to tomorrow," she grumbled.

...

"I am _so_ looking forward to today!" Yuki cried, strolling happily down the sidewalk.

"At least one of us is," Kat mumbled.

"Really, Kat, everything is going to be fine," Mitsumi assured.

"I'm crossing my fingers," her friend replied. Mitsumi pinched the bridge of her nose.

The closer the friends got to end of 14th street, the more apprehensive Kat became. She tugged at the white cover-up dress, and she checked the small brown bag she had brought for the thousandth time to make sure the capsule with all of their supplies hadn't magically leapt out and ran off. Then she patted the sides of her head to make she her hair clips were in place. She usually didn't clip her bangs back because they never got in the way, but when she went into the water, she made sure they were securely out of her face. Although, if she had to be fair to herself, most of her bangs had grown with the rest of her hair, so there wasn't too much to clip back with the white clips that had stars on one of the ends. After readjusting one of her black flip-flops, she studied her friends.

Whenever they went to the beach, Mitsumi wore contacts to make sure she could still dunk her head under the water. Kat could never get use to her older friend's "without glasses" look. It was also days like today where she remembered the eleven-year-old had little fake diamond stud earrings. She too wore a white cover-up dress, and on her feet she wore white sandals with a red flower near her toes. As they walked, Mitsumi occasionally bounced the multicolored beach ball around, Kat praying every time that it wouldn't fall into the street.

Yuki, meanwhile, was the simplest out of all of them. _It's 'cause he's a dude,_ Kat always told herself. On top of his head he had his trusty top quality sunglasses that Kat swore he had accidentally dropped a thousand times, but they had yet to break. He had a dark purple shirt as his cover up, green swim trunks, and navy blue flip-flops. He brought along a red bucket and shovel that his little sister insisted they bring, and Kat had never wanted to dunk the six-year-old brat so much before. They weren't toddlers; she really didn't want to be made of fun of by Vegeta. "Hey, there he is!" Yuki exclaimed, stopping Kat's observations.

 _Oh boy,_ Kat sighed.

At the very least, Vegeta looked normal. He was wearing a black tank top, navy blue swim trunks, and his black sneakers. If he wasn't wearing his white boots, that was his alternative, and Kat couldn't help but roll her eyes to that fact. He also had a small bag flung over his shoulder, probably holding whatever he had to entertain himself. The Saiyan had been looking at the ocean, but when he heard Yuki's voice, he turned around and watched as Kat's friends ran up to him. Kat, however, lagged behind. She showed a look of apprehension, to which he smirked quickly. It faded once the other two greeted him. "Thank you for doing this, Vegeta," they thanked, bowing as they did.

Vegeta nodded, and then Kat finally joined them. She stared at her teacher, as if she were testing him on if he would control himself. His smirk grew back as the staring contest continued. "You're-"

"I swear to Kami, if you say I'm late, I will punch your face in," she threatened.

Her friends rolled their eyes, but Vegeta just chuckled. "Okay, so, forgetting the threats," Mitsumi piped up, "let's go find a place to put our stuff." She quickly took the lead, followed by Yuki the Eager Beaver, with Vegeta calmly walking after them. Kat sighed.

"Well, I'm here. Might as well make this as enjoyable as possible," she muttered. She jogged after the other three. "Vacation's almost over, and I shouldn't make it a miserable ending."

"That's better," a gruff voice piped up. Kat jumped, not realizing she had gotten within Vegeta's hearing range. "From what I figured, this is a time you humans have 'fun', right? And I don't think this 'fun' consists of you frowning and glaring all day."

Kat quickly made it to his side. "Isn't that what you do?" she pointed out.

"I only frown and glare," he repeated, smirking.

"You're hilarious," she replied sarcastically. He chuckled. "So, you ate, right?"

His hand landed on her head, and he rubbed her hair lightly. "Stop worrying about some idea that you can't even say was going to happen," he told her. Kat looked up at him with a cocked eyebrow. He just smirked. "But to answer your question, yes."

"Good," she stated, sounding proud. The hand was removed, and they walked in silence as they got closer and closer to the beach. "You're wearing hair clips," he suddenly observed.

She looked up at him again, confused. "Yeah, but why is that note worthy?" she questioned.

Vegeta shrugged. "It's something you don't usually do," he noted. _True, but I haven't worn a dress or flip-flops before,_ she countered in her head.

What she didn't know was that she had proven one of Vegeta's very first observations about the girl true: she did look kind of cute with hair clips.

They finally made it to the sand and noticed that Kat's friends had found a spot that had enough space between people where sand would be kicked in their faces or they would do so to neighbors. Yuki waved to them. "Yo Kat, throw me the capsule!" he shouted. "We'll set up; you're the WTT today!"

"Sure!" Kat called back as she grabbed the capsule from her bag.

"The hell's a WTT?" Vegeta inquired as Kat threw Capsule Number 11 to her friend.

"Water Temp Tester," Kat answered. "We came up with it ourselves."

"Humans are weird," Vegeta said.

"I thought you already decided that." He smirked, and for the first time all day, Kat smiled. She couldn't help it; the sea salt had finally crept its way into her nose, and the scent always made her smile whether she wanted to or not. Suddenly with a boost of energy, Kat ran for the water, striping herself of her white dress to show off her orange ruffles bikini. She loved how she had been able to find one where the bottom was a skirt and the top was a tube rather than two triangles, but she wished she didn't have to slip the strap around her neck. She threw the dress to Mitsumi, and after ditching her flip-flops, she finished her run to the clear blue water.

Thanks to her training, she no longer had to run awkwardly as she tried to go in deeper. The water had little resistance on her legs now, so when she dove into the water, it was finally a perfect swan dive. She resurfaced and brushed her hair back, and only then did she notice how far she had gotten. Even stretching out her toes, she couldn't touch the ground, though to be fair she was already short. She barely passed Vegeta's waist. Still, when she turned around she noticed how far away from shore she was. If she wanted to call her friends into the water, Kat figured she should be closer to the dry sand.

With a few strokes, she easily made it to a place where the tips of her toes could feel the wet grains. She beamed. "The water feels great!" she exclaimed. Mitsumi and Yuki looked out into the water. She noticed that they had their spot almost complete, minus the blanket, the umbrella, and one chair. But they abandoned their project and sprinted into the ocean. Mitsumi froze when she got to her knees, but Yuki managed to make it to just below his shoulders. "Yeah right!" he argued. "It's cold!"

"No, it feels good," Kat stated, confused. "It's not awkwardly warm, but it's not cold, either."

"Okay, whatever. You sure you didn't pee?" Kat slapped him. "Sorry, sorry! Maybe you just have thicker skin."

Kat tilted her head in confusion. "But I've always been the one who gets out if it's too cold," she voiced.

Yuki put a finger on his chin in thought. "That's true," he realized. "Usually we're the ones who have thick skin. It probably has something to do with your training, like how you went out 25 feet, I swear."

"Y-you're just lucky i-it's a slightly warm day, Kat," Mitsumi hissed as she finally joined them, and she was slightly shivering. "Otherwise, I'd k-kill you."

"Hey, I'm sorry," Kat apologized. "I didn't realize it would be cold to you guys." Mitsumi glared, but she was also smiling. Kat smiled, too. "By the way, I like your swim suit, Mitsumi. It's new, right?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, and she quickly adjusted one of the straps. The top was blue with light blue spot, and it tied around her neck. The bottoms, meanwhile, were a plain red. The whole thing was plain and simple, but unlike with Kat's mother, it was nice and not boring. Of course, Yuki would occasionally make fun of how simple Mitsumi was, but she wasn't offended. At least, not too much. "Anyway, since we know how the water feels, we should finish setting up. And Yuki, you need to put on sunscreen."

"Who are you, my mom?" Yuki grumbled.

"No, but I don't want to be yelled at by her," Mitsumi reasoned. The green haired boy raised his hands in defeat, and the three friends went back to shore and to their spot. Vegeta was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a book. If Kat hadn't been told he was an alien, she wouldn't believe he was. "I didn't realize you read, Vegeta," Mitsumi observed.

"He does it when he's not training," Kat told her as she and Yuki set up the umbrella. The brown skinned girl made of noise of understanding before grabbing the big blanket they had brought.

The man glanced at the eleven-year-old girl and looked back at the book. "You humans have a very interesting perception of space," he noted.

Kat huffed. "Well _sorry_ we didn't travel from planet to planet in a mad attempt to purge everything," she commented, half joking and half bitter. Vegeta smirked, but it seemed a tad somber, and only Kat caught it. _I wonder what that Frieza guy was like,_ she thought. _If Saiyans like to fight but he seems slightly upset because of that guy, I wonder what exactly he did...besides that whole thing about blowing up his home world._

"Is it the species out there or the tech?" Yuki asked, opening up the umbrella.

"Mostly the technology," Vegeta revealed.

"Why? Because we're simple-minded cavemen?" Kat questioned dryly.

"Now you're getting the hang of it."

She growled and then jumped at him. "I told you to stop insulting us!" she shouted, trying to punch him. But it was easy for Vegeta to keep her at half an arm's length (only because he wanted her to feel like she had something of an advantage) and mark the page of his book. He tossed it to Yuki, who almost dropped it in the sand because he had been too stupefied by the display, and then stood up, flinging the small girl over his shoulder as he did. Kat was surprised, but quickly began to protest. "Vegeta, put me down, you jerk!" Of course, he ignored her as he walked to the water. He went up to his knees before gripping her sides and throwing Kat a little farther in. She squeaked right before hitting the water, and unfortunately for her, Vegeta threw her into a cold spot. The girl resurfaced and glared at him. "IT'S COLD!" Her friends laughed.

The three kids enjoyed the wonders of the beach - most of the time being in the water - while Vegeta calmly did whatever he had brought with him. Kat slowly began to forget why she hadn't wanted him to come; she was having too much fun hanging out with her friends. Though, as it had been in years past, Kat found herself sitting on a chair while Mitsumi and Yuki continued to play in the water. It wasn't that she was tired; she just wanted a small break. Usually, the parents that brought them were doing something for work or were dozing off. Luckily, this year, she had a man who had no deadlines to meet and who didn't tire easily. "You do this every year?" he suddenly inquired, not looking away from the crossword puzzle Bulma had forced upon him.

"Yeah," Kat answered. "It's just something you do during the summer." She looked at him and noticed he was almost done, just filling in the word "armory". "Did you ever have vacations?"

"If by vacation you mean occasional days where Frieza was gone and I hadn't been ordered to do something while he was away, then yes," he replied.

Kat stared at him in wonder, and then she looked back at Yuki dunking Mitsumi under the water. "Oh," was all she could say.

"I don't need pity," Vegeta stated.

"I figured you wouldn't want it. I wasn't trying to pity you. I just don't know what to say to that other than what I said." Vegeta hummed. "Though, I'm glad you told me something. I'm really interested in all of the stories you have."

"Don't expect them."

The girl nodded, telling herself she would just have to be patient. Suddenly, her stomach growled a little. She growled back. "I just had lunch," she muttered.

"All you had was a sandwich and a few orange slices," Vegeta commented.

"That's all a human really needs," Kat stated before her stomach growled again.

Vegeta chuckled. "Clearly not today," he noted.

Kat huffed. "I'm going to grab something from The Shack, then," she decided, and Vegeta grunted to let her know it was fine. She grabbed some of her allowance money (which was much bigger now thanks to Bulma; the scientist insisted on paying Kat for her new occasional babysitting duties, which Kat did _try_ to protest against, but Bulma insisted) out of her small brown bag, and walked over to the bamboo-made hut that wasn't too far from their spot. There were three people in front of her, so Kat wouldn't have to wait too long. Unfortunately...

Summer. Kat could never escape that little fact.

She was shoved to the side and on the ground. Hitting the wooden platform the hut sat on hurt less than it ever had, but that didn't mean there wasn't a little bit of pain. Not to mention that Kat was really annoyed. Who the hell couldn't just wait- She frowned. "Oh, it's you," she said in a deadpan.

Shigeru and his four friends sneered. "Oh, sorry Freak," the mahogany haired boy mockingly apologized. "I didn't see you there, seeing as how you're so short."

"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't," Kat spat. She stood up and glared. "Look, I was here first. Didn't your mommy teach you to patiently wait your turn, jackass?"

"Didn't _your_ mommy ever teach you not to use bad words?" Then he snickered. "Oh wait, I forgot, your _mommy_ doesn't care about you. She'd probably rather want an alien rather than you."

Kat sighed internally. This again. The whole "you're not loved and you're adopted" speech. It was old and rather grating on her nerves. Yes, she and her mother weren't on good terms, but that was no reason to think she was unloved or adopted. "Yeah, yeah, we've been through this song and dance before. Can you just get behind me?"

"What are you talking about? We were here first."

That stupid smirking grin plastered on Shigeru's face was really irritating her. Her eye twitched as she attempted to keep her anger down. "No, you weren't. Now get to the back of the line."

"This _is_ the back of the line, Freak."

"You are just _asking_ for-"

"Kat, that's enough," a stern voice stated. The children looked to find Vegeta with a stoic face.

The girl remembered the last time he had walked in on a conversation, so instead of standing there like an idiot like she had in the office, she immediately replied, "Yes sir", and went back to a neutral stance rather than her aggressive, ready-to-attack one.

Of course, the boys were surprised that Kat actually obeyed, but then they relaxed and went back to their smirking faces. They had expected to be on their way while Kat got scolded out, but the five didn't realize that the adult wasn't on their side this time, not until they were being stared down by one of Vegeta's infamous glares. Like most people, they shrunk under it and began to tremble. "I believe the girl was here first," he said, and while there was no need for a threatening tone, Vegeta added just a touch of it to give his words that extra kick. "So I suggest you move aside and stop giving her trouble."

Unable to speak, the boys just nodded and stepped back. Kat couldn't help but smile just a tad. "Thanks, Vegeta," she told him.

Vegeta nodded, and he watched as she went right behind the person who was at the counter. Both she and the people in the booth decided to not get themselves involved in the situation. "By the way, get me a hot dog," he requested.

Kat remembered why she had been apprehensive about Vegeta taking them to the beach. She looked back at him, and her look told him exactly what she was thinking. But then she smiled. "Alright," she agreed. "Just don't get angry if I get it wrong." The man chuckled, and then quickly glared at the group before walking back to their spot.

A few minutes later, the two had their food, and by that time both of Kat's friends had gotten out of the water. Mitsumi was busy creating a sand castle, and Yuki had his earbuds playing while he played a game on his phone. "Quick question," Vegeta brought up after he had practically inhaled his hot dog. Kat wasn't surprised at that fact, despite how she got everything minus the kitchen sink on that thing. "How long are we going to be here?"

That was actually a good question, one Kat hadn't thought of. She looked at her friends. "How much longer should we stay here?" she asked.

They looked at her. "What time is it right now?" Mitsumi inquired.

Yuki checked. "Two. We've only been here an hour. How about one more." Everyone agreed.

For a while, Kat sat in her chair, thinking but not really. There wasn't any one topic she would stay on for very long. She watched as Yuki started packing up, seeing as how they would leave in 15 minutes. Then she looked to Vegeta, who had his hands behind his head and had his eyes closed. He had taken off his black shirt - realizing that black clothing and the sun don't mix - and his sneakers - realizing sneakers and sand don't mix. _He looks really peaceful,_ Kat noted. _If he hadn't told me he once was a bloodthirsty killer, I would probably think he couldn't hurt a fly._ Then she looked at his chest, and she had to keep herself from gasping in shock and disgust.

Scars laced his chest; some were big, some were small, and some even crossed each other. Whether it was because he just had so many of them or because someone had deliberately done so, Kat couldn't tell. And then a thought occurred to her. _How many of those were caused by Frieza?_ He must have sensed eyes on him, because Vegeta opened his eyes and turned his head. Kat met his black orbs and realized she had been caught. She gulped silently, and then got out of her chair without a word as she headed to the water for another swim, all the while feeling Vegeta's gaze on her. _Oh man. Kat, you idiot, what the hell were you **thinking**?_

...

Vegeta wasn't surprised at all that Kat had finally gotten a glimpse of his scars. And he was even less surprised that she felt like he was angry that she had. While, yes, it irritated him that she felt the need to feel sad about the sight, at this point he was so used to it from Bulma that he stopped caring enough to not yell at the girl.

What had caught him a tad off guard, though, was the way she looked at them. The look in her eyes reminded him of someone from a long time ago.

_How many of these were from Frieza?_

First the old nightmare and now that? Vegeta internally sighed. It was very strange that how, out of all people, the random girl was the one to pull out memories rather than the woman he mated with. At least Bulma and- _Forget it!_ he ordered. He sighed again, and then he watched as Kat slowly swam through the water about 30 feet from shore, her posture clearly giving away her feelings of guilt. Vegeta frowned. He never did like this side of the girl. There was something fun about the Kat who could stand up to him just as Bulma could, and there was a tad bit of satisfaction from the Kat who would cower at his words and looks. But the Kat who sat in the principal's office, the one who guided him back to school's entrance, the one who was bombarded with questions from that idiot, the one who had cried over the phone...those weren't his student. Not the ones he liked to see, anyway.

Then he had an idea, and he smirked. Vegeta got out of his chair and entered the water with Kat's back to him. As silent as a snake in the grass, Vegeta slipped under the surface and swam towards the unsuspecting girl. He had noticed how easy it was to have his eyes open in Earth's oceans when he fought Semi-Perfect Cell, but now that he didn't have the pressure of being attacked, it was even more noticeable. The salt content was nowhere near as one of the planets he had visited about 11 years before. Ugh, he would never forget that mission. The blasted inhabitants of Planet Quamarin lived under the water, and even though they had been Frieza's allies, they decided to blast Vegeta's pod out of the sky, which meant he had to swim down to their city instead of have the pod fly through the depths. The salt content had been brutal, being about 5 times worse than Earth's.

For his hell of a trip, he - at the very least - was given a very nice spread of food to eat and a few disobedient citizens to destroy.

He quickly approached his target, and he barely avoided being kicked by her foot. Not that she knew he was under the water, but it still annoyed him a little. The annoyance went away quickly, though, as he smirked, and in one fell swoop, he grabbed her ankle and dragged her under. She didn't even have time to squeak, but her legs were flailing, although the left one was a tad restricted. It was clear, though, she had gotten much stronger, and Vegeta smirked even wider to that. Kat spun around, Vegeta only loosening his grip slightly to allow her body to make a full rotation. When his grip tightened again, she looked down, her eyes wide. For a moment she stared at him, and then she waved her hand in front of her face. _She must be surprised she can see under water,_ Vegeta realized. Once she had finished marveling at her discovery, she looked at Vegeta and glared, to which he smirked even bigger.

And then everything happened within the blink of an eye.

Without really thinking the girl pushed out her hand, her palm in full view. Vegeta had no idea how she thought that would help her, but then he felt her ki rise sharply. Alarmed, Vegeta let go of her ankle and moved out of the way right before a small energy blast shot out and flew to the sand, causing a small disturbance. The fighters looked at the dent in the ocean floor and then at each other before swimming to the surface. They took a few moments to regain their breath before Kat threw up her hands and cried, "What the hell did I just do?!"

"An energy blast," Vegeta stated. "Nothing too special."

"Nothing too special?!" she repeated. "I just fired energy out of my hand!"

"It was small, uncontrolled, and primal," he pointed out. "And any human can shoot energy if they were strong enough; most aren't." Kat looked down at the water, disappointed now. "However, to achieve it in only five months..." He chuckled with a smirk. "I doubt Kakarot's brat was able to do that."

Kat's head whipped back up, surprised. "How do you figure that?" she wondered.

"That Namekian trained him," Vegeta answered. "He may be strong, but he's not me."

"Narcissist," she mumbled. But she immediately dropped that thought to look at her hands. "But how could I have gotten that strong that fast?"

"Like I said, you're training with me," he stated. He smirked. "Looks like you'll get your wish of flying soon." Her head shot up again, and she was beaming with stars in her eyes. "Before then, though, we have to get you to control your ki and get more of it."

She nodded furiously, and then she suddenly and quickly swam out to the platform that floated in the middle of the roped-off area. She hauled herself onto it and sat down, facing him with her feet in the water. "Come on, come on, show me how to control it!" she exclaimed, filled with more energy than he had ever seen.

With her enthusiasm, there was no way Vegeta could say no. Even if he wanted to and did, he would never hear the end of it from her, be it from her fists or her words. She'd probably go tell Bulma, too, and that was a minute he'd rather be hurting his ears in other ways. So with his hands tied but not at all bothered, he swam over to the platform and pulled himself up as well. Her eagerness was overwhelming, and he couldn't suppress a laugh, although he could at least make it quiet. "First, you need to calm down," he instructed. "You're not going to get anywhere bouncing off the walls."

Again, she nodded feverishly. Then she realized that was the exact opposite of what she should have been doing, so she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. After she was done, her eyes opened, and while she was certainly calmer, Vegeta couldn't mistake the gleams of excitement. "Okay, so what do I do first?"

It only just occurred to him that he wasn't giving instructions in a training chamber or up in the mountains (not that he had taken her there yet); instead, they were at the last place he would ever think a training session would occur. Life on Earth was definitely different. "Your ki is in the center of your body," Vegeta explained. "Listen for it, and feel it out. You'll start to feel a pull."

"Center of my body..." Kat muttered in wonder, and she put her hands near the center of her stomach. Taking one last deep breath, she began to find her ki. It took a while, and the only sounds were the lapping of the water at the edge of the platform and the distance squeals of laughter from children. Eventually, though, a small amount of ki formed, being about the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Not that it mattered to Kat; she just seemed excited that she managed to form it in the first place. "Vegeta, look, I did it!"

"Good, but now you have to concentrate on holding it." She nodded, slowly this time, and focused on keeping the ki out. After about a minute, it grew just a tad more, and then-

"Hey Kat, what are doing?" Mitsumi's question startled the small girl, and she accidentally released the energy. It skimmed by the brown haired girl, nicking her shoulder and causing her to bleed a little.

"Oh my God!" Kat cried as she jumped to her feet. "Mitsumi, are you all right?!"

Mitsumi smiled at her friend. "Yeah, don't worry, Kat," she assured. "It's just a scratch. And besides, it's my fault for breaking your concentration."

Kat sighed in relief before shaking her head. "I should've had more control," she argued. "But I'm glad you're okay."

Vegeta watched the older girl smile a little more. _How fragile humans are,_ he noted. _A blast that size wouldn't even cause a bruise-_ He noticed something closing in on Mitsumi, and it didn't look inviting. "Girl, get out of the water," he ordered.

"What?" Mitsumi replied, confused. "Why?"

Not bothering to answer, he acted on instinct as his arm shot out and yanked the eleven-year-old out of the water right before a shark made itself known. "What the hell?!" Kat shrieked as the three moved to the middle of the platform.

"It must have smelled your friend's blood," Vegeta stated, remembering he read that sharks had sharp senses of smell and went after fresh blood in a book once.

"Y-y-yeah, but h-h-how did it g-g-get in?" Mitsumi stammered. Then she and Kat cried out as the shark hit the platform. Vegeta grunted. Acting on instinct again, he held the girls and flew back to where Yuki was, who was staring at the ocean like he was a deer in headlights. At the very least, he had gotten everything into Kat's capsule before the incident. When Vegeta landed with Yuki's friends in his grasp, the green haired boy finally looked away from the shark trying to find its long lost prey.

"I don't think I'm going to go to the beach for a while," he managed to whisper out.

"A-a-agreed," Mitsumi said.

Kat let out some held breath. "One of these years, summer is going to kill me," she muttered before going to pick up her cover-up dress. As she slipped it on, she noticed the rude boy from before and his friends staring at the four of them with wide eyes. Kat growled as she slipped on her shoes and picked up her bag. "What do you want?"

None of them said anything, and then the spiky haired boy pointed at Vegeta. "Did he just fly?" he asked in disbelief.

The group stared at him, unsure how to answer. Then they looked at each other, somehow able to guess what the other was thinking: the Cell Games. And since Vegeta really didn't feel like having the annoying human reporters coming after him, they all silently agreed to just bolt.

They ended up leaving behind a lot of really confused beach goers.

...

"That's it...I'm done for today," Yuki sighed as he flopped onto the grass lawn of Capsule Corp. Bulma had, at the very least, promised to take the kids home when she was done with her meeting.

"Works for me," Mitsumi stated, sinking to her knees and then lying out like she was sunbathing, reveling in the soft grass.

Kat blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Well, the fun was fun while it lasted," she mumbled. "Did you have fun, Vegeta?"

He shrugged. "If only you humans weren't so fragile," he brought up.

"I said stop that!"

"And maybe if humans had more control-"

"You are _asking_ for it!"

Mitsumi and Yuki sighed as Kat shouted and tried her best to attack Vegeta, who easily kept her at an arm's length and had an evil-looking grin. "Mitsumi, I don't think our lives are ever going to be simple again," Yuki pointed out.

"Agreed."


	7. When I See a Kat Fly

Students trudged through the halls, dreading the week's events:

Finals.

The eighth graders knew the fall semester finals schedule well, but that didn't mean they liked it. The seventh graders did not, however, and they all regretted any nasty things they had said about elementary school.

Except Kat. Kat was as happy and carefree as a puppy.

Vegeta promised he would teach her how to fly.

After months of learning how to control her ki and gather more of it, he finally told her she was ready to take to the skies. Flying, ultimately, was the easiest power to use once you knew how, which meant it would be a bit longer before she could start shooting beams out of her hands, but Kat wanted to fly first, anyway. She didn't care too much that she couldn't fire Kamehamehas just yet.

Needless to say, Kat wasn't going on to let finals bring her mood down one bit.

"I don't get it," Yuki whined. "How can you be so cheerful today?"

"Because I'm gonna fly Saturday!" Kat cheered, skipping down the hallway to her next final.

"That, and unlike you, she probably actually studied instead of spending all night playing _Fallout_ _4_ ," Mitsumi piped up.

"You don't understand, I finally found a fusion core!" he shouted.

Mitsumi raised an eyebrow. "And that is..."

"It lets you use power armor!"

"And _that_ is..."

"Just play _Fallout_ already, damn it!"

"Not interested. I have better things to do."

"Yeah, 'better things'." Yuki rolled his eyes. "Kat, you agree she's talking nonsense, right?"

But Kat hadn't been listening. Thoughts of mathematical equations and the endless blue sky danced around in her head, blocking out anything else. " _I_ _wanna_ _fly_ _high_ ," she happily sang as she continued to skip.

Yuki sighed. "Never mind," he mumbled.

By Friday, even Mitsumi was burnt out from all of the tests the students had to do, but Kat was still in a blissful wonderland, so much so not even the thought of the usual Friday dinner made her upset. "At least one of us is full of energy," Mitsumi commented as the three friends walked home. Well, Mitsumi and Yuki walked home. Kat was still skipping.

"Vegeta said he's gonna-"

"Yes, we get it," Yuki growled. "Kat fly, Kat _fly_. Kami, you sound like a parrot!" He loved his friend like a sister, but this was getting on his nerves way too much. Then he thought about what he just said, and an idea popped into his head. "Hey Mitsumi, did you ever see a catfly?"

Mitsumi gave him a confused look. "No," she replied. After a few moments, she realized what he was getting at. She smiled mischievously. "But I've seen a horsefly."

The boy grinned. "I've seen a dragonfly."

Now Kat caught on as well, but she wasn't as amused. "Guys..." she grumbled, but now she was the one unheard.

"I've seen a housefly," Mitsumi stated, and Yuki chuckled.

"Yeah, I've seen all that, too." He looked smugly at Kat before continuing. "I seen a peanut stand, and heard a rubber band, I seen a needle that winked its eye."

"Yuki, seriously-"

_But I be done seen 'bout ev'rything_

_When I see a~ cat fly_

"What d'you say, boy?" Mitsumi asked.

"I said when I see a cat fly," Yuki responded.

"That's not even how the song goes!" Kat cried.

But she was ignored. "I seen a front porch swing, heard a diamond ring, I seen a polka-dot railroad tie," Yuki listed.

_But I be done seen 'bout ev'rything_

_When I see a~ cat fly_

Kat grumbled. "You're terrible friends," she muttered.

"I saw a clothes horse, he r'ar up and buck," Mitsumi pointed out.

"And they tell me that a man made a vegetable truck," Yuki countered.

At this point, Kat gave up.  _If you can't beat 'em, join 'em._ "I didn't see that, I only heard," she said. Then she smiled at her friends stared at her. "But just to be sociable, I'll take your word."

They blinked, and then they smiled. "I heard a fireside chat," Yuki brought up.

"I saw a baseball bat," Mitsumi commented.

"And I just laughed till I thought I'd die!" Kat exclaimed. Yuki chuckled and took up the next two lines.

_But I be done seen 'bout ev'rything_

_When I see a~ cat fly_

They tried their best to replicate the whistles and noise while idiotically dancing down the sidewalk, not knowing they had an observer as all three of them sang.

_[Well I be done seen 'bout ev'rything_

_When I see a~ cat fly, I~]_

"With the wind," Mitsumi whispered, and the three barely contained laughter.

"Can we sing it right this time?" Kat asked. Her friends grinned.

_[When I see an elephant, fly~]_

With that, they fell onto the grass lawn in front of Kat's house and released the laughter they had been holding. "Dare I ask what strange activity you just participated in?" a voice questioned. The three looked up to find Vegeta sitting on the railing of Kat's balcony.

None of them answered him; instead giving him looks of curiosity. "Vegeta? What are you doing here?" Kat inquired. Her answer was a notebook thrown in her face. "OW! What if you hit me with the spine, you royal jackass?!"

Vegeta smirked. "You left your notebook at Capsule Corp. last night, and the woman told me to deliver it to you," he explained. "Now, are you going to tell me what I just witnessed?"

"A different version of  _When I See an Elephant Fly_ ," Mitsumi answered. "I'd explain the context, but Kat's mom will be here soon, and I don't think she'd like it if see saw you on Kat's balcony. But basically, it's a song full of idioms." She smiled. "It's fun!"

"It also sounds like you were making fun of your friend in the process," Vegeta said.

"Please teach her to fly already!" Yuki begged. "She won't shut up about it!" Kat beamed.

The man huffed with a smirk present. "Tomorrow," he instructed. "Be at Capsule Corp. at 8 a.m." And with that he took off.

"Hopefully you get it on your first try, so we don't have to keep hearing about this," Yuki huffed.

"You'll see, I'll be up there with the clouds tomorrow!" Kat promised.

...

Kat knocked on the front door. She waited a few seconds, and then she knocked again. The girl was about to knock a third time, but luckily Bulma had made it there in time. "I heard you the first time," she commented.

"Sorry, Bulma, I'm just really excited!" Kat exclaimed.

"You must be; it's only 7:30." She winked. "That should be early enough for Vegeta, right?" Kat giggled, and then she followed Bulma inside. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No. I rushed over right after I put on my clothes."

Bulma looked her over. She had her hair up in a ponytail, and she wore an orange long sleeve with a white tank top underneath, black yoga pants, and running shoes. The girl had been smart, accommodating for the winter air and how she would be high up in the sky but also just in case she got too hot. "Okay, I think my mom made some breakfast on the second floor, so let's go see," Bulma said. She turned around, with Kat eagerly following her. "Did you get some sleep last night?"

"I was actually kind of glad Mom and Blaise wore me out," Kat confessed. "I might have been too excited to sleep otherwise."

"Good on them," Bulma stated. They climbed up the stairs and made their way to the kitchen to find that, indeed, Mrs. Briefs had made breakfast - and a lot of it.

"All of that looks delicious!" Kat cried.

Mrs. Briefs giggled, which finally made Kat notice her standing by the stove. "I heard Vegeta was taking you out for flying lessons, dear," she informed. "And since I was told you would be here early, I decided to make breakfast for you. The boys will join us shortly."

Kat smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Briefs!" The small girl ran to the kitchen table and picked a chair, her lapis lazuli eyes scanning the table. Scrambled eggs, fried eggs, pancakes, waffles, toast and different jellies and jams, bacon, sausage, bagels and different types of cream cheese, hash browns, various fruit, and- "Salmon? Why did you make salmon?"

"Dad likes it," Bulma replied as she joined her.

The girl nodded, and then she stared at the smoked fish. "Is it okay if I have some?" she asked.

"Why of course, dear, there's enough to go around!" Kat nodded and took a plate as she began to pick out the food she wanted. "Someone's hungry," Mrs. Briefs giggled.

Kat looked down at her plate and noticed how full it actually was. Two medium fried eggs, a hash brown, grapes and apple slices, three bacon strips, a piece of toast smeared in strawberry jam, and a plain bagel with plain cream cheese and a slice of salmon filled the white dish to completion. She shrugged. "Guess I'm just hungry," she responded. "It happens from time to time." Then she looked at the blonde haired woman. "Do you have any apple juice?"

Mrs. Briefs nodded and went to get some out of the refrigerator just as Dr. Briefs walked in. "Well morning, crew!" he greeted, his favorite black cat Scratch on his shoulder. Everyone waved to him. "I see our visitor is here early today. Excited for today?" With her mouth full, she just nodded, a big smile on her face. "Looks like we just have to wait for Vegeta. Strange, he's usually here first-" Footsteps interrupted him, and everyone looked to the source. "Oh, never mind. Good morning, Vegeta."

Vegeta nodded in response, and then he noticed Kat with half of her piece of toast in her mouth. He smirked. "You're right on time," he noted. She smiled as he sat down and prepared himself a plate. Kat watched him pile food on as she finished her toast, and once that was gone she reached for a pancake. "Hold up. You still have food left."

"It's just one egg and three grapes," Kat argued.

"Looks more like one egg, three grapes, and half a hash brown," he pointed out.

"But I'm still hungry!" Kat whined.

Everyone looked at her with curious gazes or disbelieving looks. "Didn't you have your entire plate filled, kiddo?" Dr. Briefs mentioned.

"Well, yeah, but sometimes I get just a little more hungry than usual," Kat stated.

"You're just lucky you're a kid, Kid," Bulma muttered.

After everyone had finished their breakfast, Kat jumped out of her seat and ran to Vegeta's side. "Come on, come on, let's go to the gravity room already!" she shouted in excitement.

Vegeta chuckled. "We're not going to be in the gravity room today," he told her. Kat tilted her head in confusion. "There's not enough space, so we're going to the mountains."

"The  _mountains_?!" Kat repeated, even more excited than before. "I've never been to the mountains before, but I've always wanted to go! We're really going to the  _mountains_?!"

Bulma laughed. "Well, good luck, Vegeta," she stated. "She's bouncing off the walls even more now."

"Clearly," Vegeta noted, although he didn't seem to mind too much.

Then, for a few moments, Kat calmed down as something dawned on her. "Wait, how are we going to get to the mountains?" she inquired.

"Easy." Vegeta smirked. "We fly."

"No...that's what going to the mountains for," Kat replied with an eyebrow raised.

He just smirked wider and motioned her to follow. Still confused, Kat followed, with the Briefs not far behind. They all went outside into the front lawn, and Vegeta beckoned Kat to his side. The girl obeyed, and suddenly she was in his arms bridal style. "Don't expect this after today," he commented. With that, he nodded to the family members and took off to the skies.

Out of a knee-jerk reaction, Kat wrapped her arms around Vegeta's neck, and while she was a little bit scared, the wind running through her hair and past her body was too exciting for her to care. Everything below and around her went by in a blur of colors, although Vegeta was flying slower than usual. Meanwhile, Vegeta was watching his student's eyes trying to capture every bit of the scenery below them despite his speed. The way her lapis lazuli eyes sparkled, it was as if she had never seen any of this before. He suddenly became very curious as to why that was.

"So, you've never been to the mountains," he repeated.

Kat finally took her curious eyes off the ground. "Yeah," she confirmed. "Mom never takes me anywhere because she says she 'doesn't have time for such distractions'. I've never been outside of West City.

Vegeta slowed to a stop so that he was just hovering in midair. "You've never left that city?" Kat nodded. It made him frown mentally. He knew more about her home planet than she did. Suddenly he remembered what Bulma had said, how their situations were similar, and while Vegeta still found that to be false, now it was for other reasons. Frieza had given him a false sense of freedom, allowing him to see many planets but always had him on a leash; Kagari gave her no freedom. He was wondering which one was worse. But, he realized, now that she was here with him, Kat had some sort of freedom in her grasp, and so he decided to show her what that meant. He smirked. "Then let's get you acquainted," he said. Suddenly he plummeted, getting a slightly surprised gasp out of her, and his white boots touched the soft grass. Then he let her on her feet, and he watched as Kat's surprised face transformed into one of wonder.

"This...this is..." Kat couldn't express in words how beautiful she thought of the scene before her. Vegeta had landed in a vibrant green field decorated in flowers that were an array of gorgeous colors. The snow covered mountains loomed behind her like impassable guardians, and a river flowed gently about 20 feet from them, carrying fresh melted snow. "Vegeta...this place-"

"Is even better at night," he cut in.

The girl whipped around, unable to believe an already beautiful sight could become even more breathtaking. "Really?"

He nodded, and then he looked up, the sun already high despite it being morning because of winter. "There isn't light pollution out here, so you can see all of the stars," he explained.

Kat looked up with him, noticing how clear the sky was that day. "Planets, too?"

"If they're bright enough."

"Was Planet Vegeta bright?"

Vegeta didn't reply right away. "I don't know," he finally answered honestly. "I was young when Frieza destroyed it. I never got to see it in the night sky."

They were silent for a while, just staring up at the sky, as if it would suddenly turn to night so they could see the bright lights that contrasted the blackness. "Will you take me here one day, so we can go stargazing?" Kat suddenly requested.

"Perhaps," he replied. Vegeta finally leveled his head and smirked. "For now, we focus on your training."

"Yes sir," she stated as she met his black eyes. The scenery had calmed her, and while she was still excited, she was much more contained.

The man nodded. "First, show me how much control you have over your ki," he instructed. Kat nodded and held her hand in front of her, the palm up. She channeled her ki so that it flowed to her hand, and above it she formed a ball of energy the size of a tennis ball. Then she made it stronger but kept it the same size before turning the small ball into a much larger one, about the size of a volleyball. Kat made it weaker, and after a while slowly made it smaller until completely disappeared. Vegeta smirked. "Someone's been practicing."

"Yeah," Kat confirmed. She was tired of her ki flying out of her hand and into the GR walls or almost hitting Vegeta in the face.

"Good. Now, push your ki so it's below you." Kat nodded, and she felt her energy flow down her legs and at the bottoms of her feet. Her ki slowly pushed her into the air, and for a moment she flinched. Her feet were so used to being on the ground that it felt a tad unnerving that they weren't, and this time there wasn't someone holding her. But the unnerved feeling quickly went away as she began to feel lighter than the air that held her, and she flew higher and higher. When she looked down, she found herself about 15 feet off the ground. She grinned.

"Vegeta, look, I'm flying!" she exclaimed, giggling all the while. Kat didn't wait for his facial expression or verbal response as she began to fly around, doing little flips and tricks as she did.

"Kat, slow down, you'll lose ki faster if you don't!" he tried to advise, but his student was in her own blissful little world. Vegeta sighed. He shouldn't be surprised; humans were easily entertained. At the very least she had sizable ki now, so it was easy to track her, even if she got farther away. He watched her fly, and he couldn't help the smile that crept up on him as he heard her laughter. It reminded him of an old wish he had, but this time he didn't scold himself for thinking about it.

Over these last nine months, so many memories of the event ten years ago had resurfaced, he no longer tried to fight it.

Meanwhile, Kat was completely unaware of where she was actually going. All she registered was that she was soaring, figuratively and literally. She closed her eyes and hummed to herself as she flew over a lake, and that's when she felt her body slowly descending without her wanting it to. Then she noticed her ki was dropping. Her eyes snapped open. "This can't be good," she muttered. She tried pulling herself higher, but that just made her lose more ki, until she began to plummet towards the water below, although it wasn't controlled like Vegeta's. Kat closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact, but instead she was stopped when she was brought into someone's grasp. The girl opened her eyes to find she was about a foot above the crystal clear lake. She released a held breath. "Thanks, Vegeta," she said. Kat began turning her head. "Sorry, guess I went a little over-" She stopped when she looked at a pair of black eyes.

But they definitely weren't Vegeta's.

...

Gohan let out a sigh of relaxation as he lay out on his back, looking at the sky above him. He was so glad his mother finally allowed him a break; between studying and his newborn brother, the almost eleven-year-old barely had any time to himself. Luckily, his grandfather had dropped by for a visit, so Gohan was allowed to leave the house for a bit. It felt good to relax by the lake not far from home and let the breeze run softly through his hair. It was nice, albeit a bit cold. He was glad he wore his white jacket and black pants with his flatfooted black shoes.

Suddenly he felt a power approaching. It was new, and fairly strong...at least by human standards. He guessed whoever this person was, they could easily give Yamcha a run for his money, maybe even Tien or Krillin if they were skilled enough. He looked up in the direction the ki was coming from and noticed a girl flying and looking completely relaxed while doing so. She must have been caught up in the moment, because Gohan felt her ki beginning to drop, while she didn't notice it until she was unintentionally descending.

Clearly, she was new at this.

The boy watched as she fruitlessly tried to ascend, only to begin plummeting. Not thinking twice, Gohan sped off and grabbed her mid fall right before she hit the water. He heard a sigh of relief a few seconds later. "Thanks, Vegeta," she said. Gohan was taken aback. How did this girl know Vegeta? He watched as her head began to turn. "Sorry, guess I went a little over-" She stopped when her blue eyes met his, widening in realization that she wasn't looking at the person she thought was there.

Nothing but the slight wind made noise as the two children stared at each other for a very long time. Feeling the situation growing increasingly awkward, Gohan decided to say something. "Um, hi," he awkwardly greeted.

She continued to stare, only blinking once or twice, which let him look at her eyes a bit more, and he finally realized the strange shade of blue they were.  _Lapis lazuli,_ he remembered from a science book.  _I've never seen that shade before. Gosh, they're kind of pretty._ "Uh...hi," she finally answered back, snapping him out of thought.

He laughed quietly. "There's no need to be shy, I won't hurt you," he promised.

"R-right," she replied. "I just-" She faked a cough. "I was surprised."

"Well, flying is one of the harder skills to learn," Gohan stated.

"So, it's like riding a bike?" she brought up.

Gohan laughed again, a little louder this time. He was glad she was feeling more comfortable. "Yeah. Once you learn, you never forget," he recited. "But for now, you need to rest and let your ki build back up. I'll bring you to shore." He quickly flew to where he had been lying, and let both of their feet touch the ground before he let go. The black haired girl let out another breath, and Gohan smiled as she shook herself out. "My name's Gohan, by the way," he finally introduced. She looked at him in the eyes, and then smiled as well.

"I'm Kat," she stated. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You've heard about me?" he asked, surprised.

"You  _were_ on TV," Kat reminded. "Not to mention Bulma has mentioned you from time to time."

First Vegeta and now Bulma? Who was this girl? "Okay, you have to tell me how you know Vegeta," he said.

Kat smiled a bit more. "He's my mentor," she revealed.

" _Mentor?!_ " he repeated. That was the most surprising news since learning his mother had been pregnant with his brother. "Tell me how you did it!"

So she explained what had happened within the past nine months. Gohan found himself laughing at teacher and student alike, and she would sometimes get annoyed at him for it, but soon she found herself laughing at her own actions. "You should have been there last month," she told him. "I was trying to control my ki, and it was the only time I hit him in the face with it. He was  _fuming_ , mostly at himself because he hadn't been quick enough to dodge it. Of course, he turned it around and tried to make it entirely my fault." She grinned. "I punched him in the gut." Gohan lost it. For Vegeta to be caught off guard by someone weaker than him was astounding. He now really did wish he had been there, just to see the Saiyan's face. "Okay, so tell me some stories."

"Bulma hasn't told you?" he questioned.

"All she really said is that you're a nice guy who fights for the people he cares for," she relayed.

Gohan blushed a little. Leave it to Bulma. "T-thanks," he stuttered. "Um...well..." He began with his late uncle's arrival, and how he was taken by Piccolo to train. Kat randomly asked how long it took him to discover his ki. He was a little confused. "I'd say at the seventh or eighth month." Kat gave a smirk of self-satisfaction. "What?"

"Vegeta was right, I did discover it before you," she boasted.

"Hey, I lived all by myself in the wilderness for the first six months!" Gohan defended. "I'd like to see you do that!"

"I bet I could," Kat chuckled.

 _That's Vegeta's arrogance, alright,_ Gohan groaned. "Whatever, anyway..." He explained how tough his training was, and when the two Saiyans landed, and when he got to the fight, Kat interrupted again.

"Hold on, Yamcha  _died_?" she inquired. "But he's alive, I saw him."

"Well, that leads into more of the story...but then again, I can say something about it, since they were the reason Vegeta and Nappa came to Earth in the first place."

"What, what?" she egged on.

"I'm actually surprised Bulma hasn't told you." He smiled. "They came for the Dragon Balls." Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "They're seven mystic orbs that can grant anyone a single wish."

Kat cooed in wonder. "What did Vegeta want to wish for?"

Gohan would have warned her that the wish would have been selfish, but she already knew that about Vegeta, and she had told him about the week she had quit. "Immortality. He wanted to be able to fight forever, I guess." Kat nodded, and he continued with his story. He told her about Nappa's assault, and his dad coming to save them, and the two Saiyans fighting with Goku getting help from Gohan and Krillin. Then he moved to the time they were on Namek, and all of the hardships there. When he got to Frieza, she stopped him a third time.

"Was he really a monster?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah," he confirmed. He clenched his fists. "He was one of the worst I've ever seen. He was tough, sure, but what made him really scary was how he could get into your head and use your fears against you. That guy could find your weaknesses in a heartbeat and use them against you." Kat visibly shuddered. "I didn't know about him for that long, but he scared me all the same." His fists relaxed when he realized he was coming close to breaking skin. "I can't even imagine what it was like for Vegeta," he whispered, voicing both of their thoughts.

The girl nodded, and he continued to tell her about Namek. She cringed when he talked about Vegeta's death, and her face fell when his became angry at the thought of Krillin's own. But soon Gohan was off Namek and back on Earth as he talked about the year where his father was on Yardrat. Then there was Future Trunks, the three years, the androids, and finally Cell. "Bulma never told me Goku refused to come back on his own will," Kat commented when Gohan finished.

"He figured that all of the villains we face arrive because of him," he explained. "I was upset for a bit, but then I thought about it, and I realized he was kind of right. I know he misses us and thinks about us in the end."

His new friend nodded, and then she hugged her knees. "You're lucky you knew your father and that he loves you," she whispered. Gohan hugged her. There were days, he admitted, where he had been angry with his dad. When he hadn't come home after Namek, when he wanted to train as soon as he did, and even in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. But Kat was right; he still cared, and Gohan looked up to him as much as he could. She didn't have that.

"I'm sure he's a good guy, though," he assured. "Maybe there's a reason he couldn't be with you. Maybe he never knew about you. We don't know."

Kat nodded, and then she wiped the two stray tears before chuckling lightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to turn this into a 'feel sorry for Kat' moment'," she wrongly apologized. "Talking about fathers just touch me that way, you know. Especially since your father was my idol. I owe him the fact that I had a spine to confront Vegeta about getting into all of this in the first place."

"He would have loved to hear that," Gohan told her. She smiled, and he smiled back. Suddenly, his stomach growled. He laughed in embarrassment. "Wow, is it lunch already? I didn't even realize how much time had passed."

She laughed. "I'm a little hungry, too," Kat admitted. They stood up and stretched. "I guess I should go back to Vegeta so we can go back to Capsule Corp. and get lunch."

"Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to come have lunch with my family and I," Gohan offered.

"Really?"

"Yeah. If you're worried about Vegeta not knowing where you are, don't. I think he knows where you are based on your ki."

"Wait, you can sense ki?" Kat asked. "Vegeta never told me about that."

"He was probably going to get that soon," Gohan hypothesized. "It's one of the other hard skills to learn, and you're already trying to learn how to fly."

"But once I learn, I'll never forget."

Gohan nodded. "So, you wanna come over?"

"Sure, since it seems that even though Vegeta  _knows_ where I am, he refuses to come to me." Kat huffed and began to walk north, not realizing that she was indeed going the right way. "Royal jackass."

The boy laughed quietly, and then he looked behind them to a tree not too far away. He smiled at the person standing under it, whose look threatened, "You'll pay for those stories, boy." Gohan, in return, just waved at the man and quickly took the lead for Kat so she knew where to go.

In no time, the two ten-year-olds made it to Gohan's house, and Gohan could already smell his mother's cooking. "Okay, so there's a few things you should know," Gohan began. "I have a baby brother, so I'm sorry if he cries while you're here. My grandpa's also here, and don't be surprised if he asks you a few questions. And Mom can sometimes...be hard to deal with." Kat giggled, and Gohan opened the door. "Mom, I'm home!"

His mom walked away from the stove, holding a pot of rice in her hands. "Gohan, you're just in time!" she greeted. "Lunch is almost ready...hm?" She noticed the girl behind her son. "Who's this?"

"Kat," Gohan introduced. "She's my new friend, and she's a friend of Bulma's." The boy figured he'd let his mom get to know Kat before he revealed she was Vegeta's student.

"Hello, ma'am," Kat said, bowing. "It's very nice to meet you."

"You as well," the woman replied with a smile. "My name's Chi-Chi. Now, why don't you two come inside and wash up. Like I said, lunch is almost ready."

"Okay, Mom." Gohan then proceeded to show Kat to the bathroom, and noticed her eyes were wide. He laughed. "You forgot?"

"Yeah," she squeaked. "I forgot." She took a few deep breaths. "Calm down, Kat. You're only in the presence of your second favorite fighter, but you need to  _calm down_." Gohan laughed again.

The two washed their hands and made their way back to the kitchen, where Goten was already seated in his high chair, being entertained by the Ox-King. His baby brother looked away for one moment and caught eye of Gohan, and he began to cheer at the sight of his older brother. Gohan smiled, and he watched as Kat slowly approached the baby. She knelt a little so they could be at eye level, and it wasn't long before Goten was laughing and reaching for her. "You're really good with babies," Chi-Chi observed as she watched her youngest play with Kat's fingers.

"I babysit Trunks from time to time," Kat explained. "He's a really sweet boy."

"Not like his father," Chi-Chi grumbled as she finished setting up the table.

Kat laughed. "True, but Vegeta can be nice every now and then," she defended. "He says he doesn't have a heart. I say he's so full of it." Gohan had to resist howling with laughter when he felt Vegeta's ki fluctuate in annoyance from somewhere outside their house.

They soon began lunch, with the Son family being slightly surprised at Kat's appetite, though Gohan reasoned that it was because of her flight training. He had felt Vegeta leave a few minutes into their lunch, possibly to get some of his own. The boy figured that he also didn't mind that Kat was in their house because Vegeta could easily track her, and while he had a vendetta against Gohan's father, he still knew and trusted them enough. With the Saiyan Prince gone, Gohan focused back on the conversation, though it was mostly what he had heard before, and he wasn't too surprised that his grandfather was the one asking the most questions. There was a slight increase in tension form Chi-Chi when Kat revealed she was Vegeta's student, but it quickly dissipated because, while she definitely showed off some traits, she was still a far cry from the ruthless Saiyan. Lunch went by peacefully, and finally the two children sighed in content. "Wow, Mom, that was awesome!" Gohan thanked.

"Yes, thank you very much!" Kat agreed.

"I'm glad you two enjoyed it," the woman said, smiling. "Daddy gave me some recipes that I wanted to try." She looked to her father. "I hope I did as good as you did."

"Of course you did," he assured.

"Oo, Kat, the next time Grandpa cooks, you  _have_ to come over!" Gohan insisted. "He's one of the best cooks  _ever_!"

"Hold on, Gohan, let's not bruise Yamcha's pride even further when we tell him he has a rival," Kat chuckled.

Gohan didn't even know Yamcha was a good cook, but he rolled with it as he chuckled as well. "I guess we should consider it," he replied.

"First his fighting skills, then his woman, and now his cooking abilities," she snickered, and then the two burst into laughter. Gohan didn't mean to make fun of the poor man; he was a good man, but he was unfortunately an easy target.

"That's not nice, you two!" Chi-Chi scolded.

They calmed down. "Sorry, Chi-Chi," Kat responded. "It's just...oh man, the guy has worse luck than I do. He's sparred with me a few times, and even with my minimal experience, I've still managed to beat him, mainly because of stupid reasons like him getting momentarily distracted."

 _That, or maybe he's still trying to best Vegeta,_ Gohan thought. "Hey Kat, I have an idea," he piped up. "Let's go up to the Lookout. You can learn how to sense ki best up there, and I bet you want to meet Piccolo and Dende."

She smiled. "Chi-Chi, is it okay if he takes me there?" she asked.

Chi-Chi contemplated the idea.  _Please, Mom, please,_ Gohan pleaded in his head. After many moments, his mom smiled as well. "Why not? I did give Gohan the day off. Just be back before dark, young man," she instructed.

"Yes, Mom!" The two children put their dishes and silverware into the sink and ran to the door. "I'll see all of you later!"

"Take care, sweetie!" Chi-Chi called after them. "And Kat, I'll think about that babysitting offer."

Kat smiled at her. "Thank you." And with that, the two took off into the sky. Gohan decided to set a pace so she wouldn't go too fast and lose her energy again, although if he had to carry her the rest of the way, it would be fine by him.

"At this speed, it'll probably be an hour, maybe close to two," he informed her over the wind.

The girl nodded. "I don't have anywhere to go," she stated.

With that, they flew in silence, and after about 20 or 30 minutes, Gohan realized Vegeta was tailing them. He smiled.  _I wonder if he knows where we're going,_ he thought. Then he realized something.  _Oh Kami, please, don't let him and Piccolo get into a fight._ They flew for another 20 minutes, and now Gohan realized Kat could make it to Korin's Tower, but she couldn't fly all the way up to the Lookout. Of course, being Vegeta's student, Kat was stubborn and determined to make it up to the floating structure.

She barely made it to where Korin lived.

"You're just lucky that you have incredible upper body strength, kid," the white cat observed when he waddled over to where Kat was gripping the edge.

Gohan, refusing to help her because of how defiant she had been against his advice, watched smugly as Kat was barely able to get a good look at the old feline. "You know, I would be questioning why there's a talking cat, but right now I'm more focused on how I could die if  _someone doesn't help me!_ "

"What's the matter?" Gohan taunted. He was usually never this cocky, but Kat deserved it completely. "Come on, you're Vegeta's student, right? Pulling yourself up should be child's play."

Kat's face became crimson red as she grew angrier, but now determined to keep her pride in tack, she began slowly hoisting herself up. A shaky arm rose up and gripped the railing, and that was exactly what she needed to finally pull herself over it and crash onto the marble floor. "I... _hate_...you," she hissed out. Gohan just laughed.

After Korin gave her a Senzu Bean, the two kids finally finished their flight to the Lookout. Kat marveled at the palace that floated above the clouds, and Gohan smiled to it. Then he looked around the grounds, wondering where the two Namekians and Mr. Popo were. He sensed out their ki, and found that they were inside the palace. Piccolo must have sensed him, because the boy began to feel his old master's ki moving. Gohan motioned Kat to follow him, and the two floated over to the steps of the palace, coming to face with the three residents. "Gohan!" Dende exclaimed, clearly excited to see his friend.

"It's very nice to see you, my boy," Mr. Popo greeted with a smile.

Piccolo smirked at his protégé, and then he looked at Kat, slightly frowning as he did. "Who's this?" he asked.

His gruff voice made Kat flinch a little. "Um, my name's Kat, sir," she introduced. "I'm a friend of Gohan's."

"She needs to learn how to sense ki," Gohan explained, "and I figured there's no one better to teach her than you and Mr. Popo."

The warrior Namekian looked as if he was contemplating something. "What about Vegeta?" he inquired.

The two kids eyed each other for a spilt second before Kat replied, "What about him?" She didn't want tension to rise like it had during lunch.

"He's your teacher, is he not?" Piccolo pointed out.

Now the two jumped. "H-how did you know that?" Kat questioned.

"We can see everything from up here," Dende informed. He smiled. "What kind of Guardian would I be if I didn't know what was going on in the world I guarded?"

It had been a couple of months since Gohan last saw them, and now that he looked again, he noticed Dende was wearing the robes of the Earth's Guardian rather than the robes he wore from home. The little Namekian really looked like a true Guardian. Which, of course, Gohan should have known they would already know about her affiliation with the Saiyan Prince. "Okay, that's true, but I don't know if Vegeta really knows how to teach it," Gohan argued. "He just sort of...learned it." How he did that, Gohan would never understand.

"Fair enough," Piccolo agreed. "Just know this, Kat: I am as strict as Vegeta, but less tolerant. I want  _zero_ attitude from you, understand? He may get a kick out of it, but not me."

Kat could tell he was one hundred and ten percent serious, so she quickly nodded. "Yes sir," she responded.

Soon Kat was in a meditating position, a blindfold around her eyes. Gohan saw the annoyed looked on her face when she was told to put it on, but one glance at Piccolo's face told her it wasn't up for debate. It took about an hour for Kat to get her ki sensing abilities down, although they still needed fine-tuning. That wouldn't happen for a while, but Gohan knew it would come easier the more she did it. He was a little surprised at how fast she got it, especially since his father didn't master it until after a year of training and he didn't have the concept grasped until the fight with Nappa, but then he thought it over. When Gohan was learning it, he was only four and under intense pressure, and his father had been even more carefree as a child. But Kat had no worries, and she was much more focused and able to grasp all of Piccolo's and Mr. Popo's instructions. The boy watched as his new friend took a deep breath. "Okay, let's see..." she mumbled as she concentrated. The four had spread out around her, seeing if she could sense their individual signatures. After a minute or two, Kat finally pointed at Gohan. "Gohan's right in front of me," her finger moved to the right a bit, "Mr. Popo is there," she had to turn her body around a bit, "that's Dende," and then she pointed at the sky. Gohan was confused; that wasn't where Piccolo was. Then he looked up.

Crap.

"And that's...uh, that's not Piccolo...who is that?" Kat thought aloud. She mulled over it a little, and then she jumped to her feet. "Vegeta?!"

"Finally you weaklings got her to find me," the man taunted, his usual smirk present.

Gohan blinked, wondering how he had completely forgot about the Saiyan Prince. Dende and Mr. Popo trembled a tad, although they weren't as scared of him as they had been in years past. Piccolo scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Vegeta?" he called to the other fighter.

Vegeta landed, coming in between Gohan and Kat. "She is my responsibility; you think I wouldn't want to know where she is?" he questioned.

"Wait, so you've known where I've been this whole time?" Kat questioned, Gohan already hearing the note of irritation.

"Of course," the man answered.

"And you just let me plummet towards a lake when I could have seriously injured myself?" she growled.

"Your own fault for not listening," Vegeta simply stated. Gohan was about to yell at Vegeta when he quickly realized he had done the same thing while she dangled off the edge of Korin's place.  _Whoops._

Kat growled again. "You are  _so_ infuriating," she grumbled as she finally took of the blindfold. Gohan was wondering when she would do that. "And by the way, that weakling comment was extremely rude."

The half-breed didn't need to look at Vegeta to know he was probably smirking even wider. "I will give them this," he began. "They taught you better about ki sensing than I probably could." Gohan's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Had Vegeta actually been  _humble_?

His student was having an equally hard time grasping what she just heard. "Y-yeah," she weakly agreed. "So...um, now what?"

"Actually, I had an idea," Piccolo voiced. Everyone looked at him. "Gohan, would you and Kat be up for a sparring match?"

 _Well, that's kind of random,_ the Demi Saiyan thought. "I don't know, Piccolo," Gohan said, a little worried. "I mean, I don't think she'd be strong enough-"

" _Excuse_ me?!" Kat shouted. Gohan realized too late that he had chosen the wrong words. He hadn't meant to insult her; he was legitimately concerned because of his Saiyan half. But, as she had demonstrated before, she was Vegeta's student, and she was willing to show it more. "You can't say that until you fight me, jerk!"

"I'm only saying it out of concern!" Gohan defended.

"You do realize I train with a full-blooded Saiyan almost everyday," she pointed out as she circled around to get into a sparring position. Then she smirked; Gohan gulped. That was definitely Vegeta's "challenge me" smirk. "The full-blooded Saiyan who, may I remind you, defeated your father."

That got Gohan's blood boiling a bit. "No he didn't!" he shot back. "Dad beat Vegeta!"

"In the one-on-one, no," Kat corrected. "Goku won because you and Krillin came to his aid."

"So are you saying you rather we didn't and have the whole planet destroyed as a result?" Gohan brought up.

"I didn't say that, I only stated facts." She stopped moving and smirked wider. "And I'll state another one: you're scared of me."

"Am not!"

"Then come on, tough guy." Kat cracked her knuckles. "Fight me."

Gohan was usually never the one to leap first. He was usually never the one to engage in a pointless contest of strength either. But she started the fight, and she gave him the first move.

So Gohan leapt.

Their teachers watched as Kat dodged the first few punches. "About time," Vegeta voiced.

"I just wish she didn't do it through insults," Piccolo stated as Gohan narrowly avoided a kick to the gut.

"Well, she wasn't going to let that comment stand," the Saiyan told him. "She's got pride of her own."

"That, or you taught her," the Namekian warrior grunted.

Vegeta chuckled. "Nope. That girl's had spirit since day one."

The two children were in the middle of a flurry of punches and kicks, each one dodging expertly. Their shins and knuckles collided once or twice, but they both shook it off with ease. They even punched each other in the face at the same time, yet that too was brushed aside. Gohan had to hand it to her; she was resilient. Of course, he was going easy, but he realized he had been right in his earlier assumption that she could give some of the other human Z Fighters a hard time. Gohan leapt into the air, watching as Kat's head moved up. It stayed on him for a few minutes before she gave off a smirking grin and followed him, but they both knew she wouldn't last much longer if she was fighting and flying at the same time.

What Gohan didn't realize, though, was that the smirking grin was her "I have a plan" smirking grin.

When he tried to retract his leg, Kat grabbed his ankle, which shocked him. That gave her enough time to wrapped the other one around as well and proceeded to spin him around before she flung him to the floor. The impact hurt, but not too badly. Gohan sat up, but he was immediately pinned back down, with Kat's shins on his ankles and her hands grabbed his wrists and pinning them beside his head. She smirked victoriously. "I win," she sang.

Gohan stared at her eyes, sparkling with glee, but the gleam went away when Gohan smiled. "Not quite yet," he argued.

Then he powered up all the way to a Super Saiyan.

Kat was flung back by his power, though she was easily able to slip around and land on her feet, skidding to a stop. "That's not fair!" she cried. "You can't turn into a Super Saiyan!"

"When was that rule established?" Gohan taunted. "Come on, big girl. Fight me."

She was none too pleased to have her words thrown back at her.

The girl tried to keep up with him, but this time she stood no chance. Gohan actually felt kind of sorry for her, though she did kind of deserve it. Deciding to end the spar, the Super Saiyan gave her one last punch, realizing too late how much power he put into it. She flew far and fast, and at one point her back hit the ground, bouncing her back up before she fell over the edge of the Lookout. Gohan inhaled sharply. "Kat!" he shouted in concern and flew as fast as he could, until he realized her ki was moving upwards. He stopped dead in his tracks as Kat shot up and landed back on the white tile.

Her body was a bit crooked as she tried to stand, and Gohan realized a little bit of blood was trickling out of her mouth. Her tank top and pants were torn in a few places (luckily not in certain places), and her body was a bit scuffled. Yet she had fire still burning in her eyes and a grin that told Gohan she wasn't ready to give up. The state that she was in reminded the boy of his dad a little: completely battered and ready to topple but not willing to quit just yet. "Come...come on...Gohan," she wheezed out. Then she chuckled. "I still...have some fight...so let's...go you-" She didn't finish as she went to fall forward out of exhaustion. Gohan was about to try and catch her.

Only for Vegeta to beat him to the punch.

He gently caught her, amazing Gohan again. He didn't even realize Vegeta  _could_ be gentle. "Alright, I think that's enough," he heard the Saiyan Prince gently say.  ** _Vegeta_** _wants this to end?!_ Gohan cried. What, were they in some alternate universe? Did Future Trunks come back in time again or something? "Namekian, the girl needs healing!"

"Uh...oh, right, I'm on it!" Dende promised as he quickly ran over to the two. He began to heal Kat, and after the organ glow faded, all of the marks and the tiny bit of blood were gone. Kat stood up in surprise, checking herself out.

"You can heal?" Kat asked. Dende eagerly nodded. "Well, thanks! Though I wish you could do something about my clothes. Mom's gonna flip if she sees them like this."

"I think I can help," Piccolo stated. He held out a hand, and Kat's clothes were like new.

"Awesome," she breathed, admiring the fix-up job. "So, what is that, Clothes Beam?"

Gohan couldn't help but giggle while Piccolo grumbled something about proper thanks. "Kat, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard," Gohan apologized.

Kat waved it off. "I'm alive, right? No harm, no foul." Then she smirked. "But one day I'll surpass you, you'll see! I don't care if you're a Saiyan."

The boy had to hold back laughter and a glance at Vegeta.  _I will surpass you, Kakarot!_ rang in his mind. Gohan simply smiled. "Okay," he replied. Then he looked to his teacher. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer, but I'm thinking my mom wants me back home soon."

Piccolo nodded. "Just make sure to come back more frequently, Kid," he instructed. "We haven't seen you in a couple of months."

"Right," Gohan agreed. Then he turned to Kat. "And we'll see you in the future, right?"

"Of course!" Kat exclaimed. "We're friends, and a rematch is in order when I get stronger." Gohan nodded.

"Good, we can stop this pointless conversation," Vegeta grunted.

"Hey Vegeta, could you stop being an ass for five minutes and show us that heart we know you have?"

Instantly, Kat regretted that last bit...or not, but she should have.

"GIRL, IF YOU UTTER THAT PHRASE ONE MORE TIME,  _NO_ DRAGON  _ALIVE_ WILL BE ABLE TO FIX WHAT I TO DO YOU!" Vegeta bellowed as he chased Kat off the Lookout. The two took flight, Kat in the lead as she tried to evade a pissed off Saiyan Prince.

Gohan blinked as he felt their kis move farther and farther away. "Those two are a peculiar pair," he decided.

"She definitely gives him a run for his money," Piccolo chuckled.

...

Vegeta looked at his student's grumpy face as she was in his arms  _again_. Okay, so the morning flight was understandable, but now she knew how to fly! "Stupid ki," she grumbled. "And after I felt like I was on top of the world, too."

"What do you mean by that?" Vegeta inquired, still a bit annoyed at her comment on the Lookout.

"After that fight with Gohan, I felt better than I ever had," she told him. "Like, I felt like if we had a rematch right then and there, I would have done even better."

He eyed her curiously but then passed it off as self-confidence. "We'll strengthen your ki, and soon it won't be a hindrance," he stated. Kat huffed impatiently, and for a while they went on in silence. Then Kat began humming the tune of the song she and her friends had sung the day before. "You and that ridiculous song," Vegeta mumbled good naturally.

Kat smiled.

_(When I see an elephant, fly~)_


	8. In Search of Father

"Kat, we need to talk."

She sighed, putting down her pencil. "Why, Mom? I'm doing homework," she replied.

Kagari opened the door, staring at her daughter intently. "Later. It's Friday. You have the rest of the weekend," Kagari argued.

Kat swiveled in her chair and raised an eyebrow at her mother. "Really?" she questioned. " _You_ , of  _all_ people, are telling me to procrastinate. This must be the most important thing in the  _universe_ , then."

"Don't use sarcasm with me, young lady," Kagari scolded, narrowing her eyes. Kat rolled hers. "You are coming with me to work tomorrow."

"Why?" Kat asked dryly.

"It's 'bring your daughter to work' day," her mother explained.

" _You_ are going to participate in that day." Kat couldn't believe this. "You  _never_ want to bring me to work. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"You've been going to your friends a lot lately, and I feel you and I should have mother-daughter time-"

"You're so full of it," the ten-year-old accused.

The woman glared, not that Kat was affected. "Don't speak that way to me, I am your mother-"

"And since when did you care?" her daughter interrupted again. "You literally used me as a trophy child to help you look good for your boyfriend and ignore me every other time. So why is it that you suddenly care?" She snorted. "I bet Dad would care."

"You can't say that because you don't know him," Kagari snapped.

"Because  _you_ refuse to tell me who he is!" Kat shouted, standing up abruptly and slamming her hands on her desk. "So why don't you tell me who he is so I can find him and judge for myself?!"

"He doesn't matter!"

Her daughter growled but sat back down and crossed her arms. "Fine," she grumbled. "I'll go to this stupid day, though I still don't get why."

"Good," Kagari said. "Wake up at 7. I refuse to be late because of you, lazy bum."

" _LAZY?!_ " Kat was back on her feet again. "I go to school, get all A's, and have  _two_ babysitting jobs! Don't you  _dare_ call me lazy!"

Kagari raised an eyebrow. "You sleep until noon on the weekends," she replied.

" _No_ , I  _don't_! It's only until 9:30, and it's because I'm tired after dealing with your stupid boyfriend!"

" _Don't_ insult Blaise," Kagari hissed.

"Then don't insult me or my father!" Kat screeched.

The glare became even worse. "7, no argument." And she slammed the door.

"I wasn't arguing about that!" There was no answer, and Kat growled. Then she snatched her cell phone and dialed Bulma. It didn't take long for the scientist to answer. "Bulma, tell Vegeta I can't come tomorrow, and I don't want to hear  _any crap_."

"Whoa, what happened?" Bulma asked.

"Take a wild guess," she hissed before hanging up without another response. Knowing she wouldn't finish her homework when she was seeing red, Kat just threw herself on her bed and screamed into her pillow.

Seriously, Kat had enough of her mother. What right did she have to call her lazy when she wasn't even around on the weekend to know Kat's sleeping schedule? The woman flat out refused to have a day off because work was too precious, which was why she never wanted to bring Kat to work - she was afraid the girl would cause an accident of some kind. Now she  _wanted_  to bring her "destructive daughter" to work? Kagari had some nerve.

Saturday morning started much earlier than any Saturday before for the girl, and she groaned at the thought as to why. Kat rolled out of bed and went to her closet, looking for something nice to wear. "Please, Dende, let this day go well," she prayed, sighing.

 _"Uh, I don't think my powers can help you there,"_  a voice rang in her head. Kat yelped and jumped, landing on her back.

"D-Dende? When could you get into my thoughts?!" she cried.

 _"Sorry, I thought you wanted to talk to me,"_  the Guardian apologized. _"I can hear people's prayers, but since you're a friend, I thought..."_ He trailed off, feeling sorry.

Kat smiled and giggled. "No, no, it's okay," she stated. "Actually, you've made me feel better."

 _"Oh, thanks!"_  Dende cheered.  _"I may not be able to help your prayer, but I think I can give some advice. I know you don't want to do this, but try and make the most out of the day. Who knows; something good might happen. Always look on the bright side."_

The girl laughed. "I'll do that. Thanks, Dende, you're an awesome friend."

He chuckled, slightly embarrassed.  _"Aw, it's nothing,"_  the Namekian humbled.  _"Well, good luck."_

"Okay. I'll talk to you later." With a sudden boost in attitude, Kat grabbed a nice outfit, ready for the day. She admired herself in the mirror once she was done. A simple gray knee length short sleeve dress with a black sash and her black flats is what she had chosen for the day. Her hair was something that took some time for her to figure out how she wanted to wear it, but in the end she decided to go with a bun. It took a while because she had never made a bun, but she got it. Smiling, she went downstairs to make breakfast and pack a lunch. She heard her mother still getting ready, and curious, Kat looked at the clock. It was 10 minutes past seven. Kat rolled her eyes.  _Women._ The girl quickly finished her fried eggs and orange slices, cleaned her dishes, quickly made a roast beef sandwich with carrots and chips to go along with it, and went back upstairs to finish getting ready.

It didn't take her long to finish, and when she did, she still had 30 minutes to spare. She sighed.  _Wake up at 7, she says,_ Kat thought bitterly.  _She can't even finish before I do, and she probably woke up 30 minutes earlier. And she calls me a lazy bum._ "Kat, where are you?!" the woman demanded. "We have to leave  _now_!"

Kat sighed again and walked out of her room to go downstairs and meet her mother, who was wearing a navy blue button jacket, a matching pencil skirt, and red high heels. Her bobbed hair was slightly curled at the ends, and she was wearing round red earrings. "Actually, I've been waiting for you," Kat corrected. Kagari rolled her eyes and quickly walked to the garage, with her daughter on her heels. "You screeching harpy," she added under her breath.

Driving felt so much slower now that Kat knew how to fly. Kat wished she could just fly the two of them to the office, but she didn't know where it was and she wasn't dumb enough to show off her powers. So instead she sat in the passenger's seat, looking out the window. At the very least she had a few things to entertain herself: a few books to read, her homework, and her music player.  _But how long will all of that keep me occupied?_ Kat sighed.

Kagari pulled into a parking garage and into a parking spot. "Come on, Kat, let's go," she instructed as she shut off the car. Kat picked up her bag of distraction and followed her mother to the office.

And it was as boring-looking as Kat imagined.

 _Who the hell wants to work in a sea of gray cubicles?_ Kat asked as she observed the place. Then she watched Kagari eagerly walk to hers.  _You know, besides Workaholic here._ The girl sighed, and she made her way to her mother's workspace. There was a chair waiting for her, and once Kat sat down, the longest hours of her life began.

Just as with every other day, neither of them spoke to each other, except it was somewhere new on a day they were supposed to spend together. Instead, they went about their own business. Kat finished her homework and read all of her books with two hours to go, and the hours she had worked felt like four hours in themselves. She resisted the urge to groan.  _Dende, I don't know if you can hear my thoughts, but if you can, please tell Vegeta I won't complain for three weeks,_ she thought.

 _"Uh, I don't want to be the one to feed his ego,"_ Dende replied.

 _Fair enough,_ Kat sighed.

 _"Hey, why don't you try meditating?"_ he suggested.  _"You can strengthen your ki that way, and two hours will be gone before you know it."_

Kat considered it before she shook her head.  _I appreciate the suggestion, Dende, but I'm wearing a dress. I can't cross my legs while I'm wearing it._

Dende chuckled.  _"Crossing your legs is the standard position, but it's not necessary,"_ he clarified.  _"Just clear your mind; that's meditation."_

She nodded.  _Alright, I'll try it,_ she decided.  _Thanks for your help._

 _"That's what I'm here for,"_ the guardian said happily.

Taking his advice, Kat sat up straight, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath as she cleared her mind. Thanks to a few sessions with Gohan and Piccolo, she had learned how to meditate properly, though they never told her it would help raise her ki. They probably just figured it was something that was obvious. Kat decided it wasn't worth getting mad over. So for two hours she stayed in her meditating position, but as Dende had predicted, it felt like no time at all. In what only felt like thirty minutes, her stomach growled, telling her it was lunchtime. She opened her eyes, a little surprised at how quickly the time went, and then looked to her mother. Kagari was feverishly working, not noting the time at all. "Mom, it's time for lunch," Kat informed.

"Then go eat, I'm busy," she snapped, not looking from her computer.

Her daughter glared. "Mom, you need to eat," she instructed.

"I  _need_ to work," Kagari argued.

 _Who's the child and who's the adult here?_ Kat grumbled. "You need energy to keep going."

"Never had before."

Kat's hand slammed onto the counter next to the keyboard, causing Kagari to jump. "Woman, are you telling me you  _never_ eat lunch?!" Kat barked. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noted that she had picked up yet another of Vegeta's questionable habits.

" _Don't_ talk to me that way and  _don't_ cause a scene."

"I'm only 'making a scene' because I'm concerned," Kat argued. "Your work can handle you being away for thirty minutes to give yourself a break and eat. No one is going to fire you, no one is going to dock your pay, and no one is going to expect you right this minute on the computer. So get off of your chair and  _go eat_."

"I didn't back a lunch because I don't need one," Kagari revealed calmly, "nor am I going to leave the office to go get something."

Through clenched teeth, Kat cried in frustration. Then she stormed back to her chair and climbed onto the counter, making sure she was hovering just slightly so her weight wouldn't make it fall but making it look like she was standing on it as she shouted, "Anyone have extra food?"

"Kat, stop making a scene!" Kagari hissed.

"Not until someone gives you food, understand?" Kat shot back. She looked back at the other cubicles, and by now almost everyone was staring at her, whether they were walking around or in their own space and standing up. "Well? Anyone? Stop staring like a bunch of slack jawed idiots and answer my question!"

Everyone was stunned into silence except Kagari, who was continuing to hiss at her to stop making a scene. Finally, a woman with long honey-colored hair raised her hand. "I do," she responded.

"Thank you!" Kat jumped off the counter. "Let's go."

"Young lady, you-"

" _Now._ " Without another word, Kat grabbed her mother's wrist and yanked her out of her chair. Ignoring her protests, Kat dragged Kagari over to the woman, who led the two to the break room. Blaise and another man were inside, frozen just like the rest of the office. "You," Kat demanded to her mother's boyfriend. "Make sure she eats  _everything_. And  _don't_ lie to me; I  _will_  know if you're lying."

Blaise blinked, and then he collected himself. "You don't speak to adults that-"

"She's acting like a child!" Kat cried. "What, do you agree she should be working rather than giving her body energy?" Blaise blinked again. "Oh my Kami, you don't eat, either." She looked to the other man. "You!" He seemed taken aback. "Make sure  _both_ of them eat, understand? As I said before, I will know if you're lying." The man nodded vigorously, and after getting the two set up with food, Kat stormed back to get her own food. But when she got her food, she found the woman from before standing at the entrance to the cubicle.

"I really need to thank you for that," she said. "I mean, maybe you could have done it differently, but we've been trying to get them to eat lunch for years now. It hasn't been successful."

Kat smiled. "Well, I've had practice," the girl stated.

The woman smiled. "Would you mind if I had lunch with you?" she asked. Kat shook her head, and the woman quickly left to get her food. She came back quickly with food and sat down in Kagari's chair. "My name is Samantha, by the way," she introduced. "Just call me Sam."

"I'm Kat, Kagari's daughter."

"I think you've been mentioned a few times."

"Really? A few? I'm flattered I even got that."

Sam chuckled. "Glad it doesn't bother you," she noted. "You know, I've actually always brought extra food for the day that Kagari decided to eat. Usually I end up giving it to my nephew. Hopefully he won't be too disappointed." Kat giggled. "So, after that display, I have to ask: who's the one who runs the house?"

"We're not around each other often enough for me to say for sure," Kat told her, "but I think it's me. Mom couldn't scare me even if I was shrunken down to the size of an ant."

"What about your father?" Sam brought up.

"Not around," Kat answered simply. "Funny; I would think she would have complained about that at least once or twice."

"Well, maybe she has," the light brown eyed woman admitted. "I don't usually pay attention to her rants." She absentmindedly played with the metal rose on her necklace as she thought about something. "Do you know anything about him?" Kat shook her head, and Sam frowned before she went to thinking again. Then she looked like she had an idea. "Come with me. I may have a lead." The girl felt her heart flutter, and she wasted no time following Sam to her workspace. Unlike Kagari's bland, uncustomized cubicle, Sam's was full of pictures of her family, dresses, flowers, beaches, and mountains. Kat instantly felt welcomed and warm, and she let her eyes wander around as Sam sat in front of her computer and began typing. "There was a man that worked here, about nine or ten years ago I'd say," she explained. "He and your mother were dating, so maybe that's him." She finally pulled up a picture, and Kat made sure to study every detail, no matter how small.

His name was Ushio. He was tan and looked to be about 5'8" or 5'9". His hair was a bright blond, as was his goatee/mustache. The man had orange-yellow eyes that looked gentle, and brown reading glasses covered them. The day they had taken his picture, he was wearing a teal button-up with a light blue tie, brown pants and loafers, and a serious look on his face. But it wasn't scary serious like Piccolo or Vegeta could be, or boring serious like her mother, but a gentle kind of serious. As much as Kat liked the picture she saw, she couldn't help but frown slightly. Nothing about the man seemed even remotely like her, debunking her mother's claims about the girl looking more like her father. Still, it was Kat's only lead, and perhaps she looked like someone in his family and not necessarily him. "Where does he live?" Kat demanded, feeling excited.

"Let's see..." Sam pulled out a phone book, causing Kat to give her a questioning stare. "You never know when one will be useful," the woman pointed out. She flipped through the pages and searched for Ushio's name. After a while, she found it, and Kat immediately looked at it.

"I know that street," she realized. "It's the street right next to my friend's."

Sam smiled. "You want me to take you?" she offered.

"Nah, I'll be fine," Kat stated. "Trust me; you won't even know I've been gone."

"Wait, you're going  _now_?"

"Yeah, why not? Mom won't even notice, I guarantee." With that she waved to Sam and ran for the entrance, and once she was outside she took to the skies.

She flew as fast as she could towards Yuki's house, and when she saw the mini mansion, she flew one more street over and touched down onto the sidewalk. Kat began searching for the specific house as quickly as her feet could take her. Finally, she found it. She felt her heart race and butterflies flutter in her stomach. Shakily she made her way to the front door; the closer she got, the more nervous she became. She took deep breaths.  _Calm down, Kat,_ she instructed.  _Don't get your hopes too high. This might not be him._ The door came upon her a little too soon, and she stood in front of it for a few seconds before raising a shaky hand and knocking. She waited a few moments before the door finally opened.

Ushio was the one to answer. His blond hair was still slicked back, his goatee/mustache was still there, and he still had the brown reading glasses, but he was wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and socks. He looked down at Kat, who gulped nervously at his serious gaze. It softened when he realized he was making her uncomfortable. "May I help you?" he asked. He had a deep voice, but it was gentle.

"U-um, are you Ushio?" Kat inquired despite knowing. He nodded. "I-I was wondering if I c-could ask you something." The man nodded again. "You knew a w-woman named Kagari, right?" He narrowed his eyes and looked like he was about to shut the door. "W-w-wait! I'm sorry! She didn't send me here, and it has nothing to do with her! Well...it kind of does, but not really. I promise!"

The man softened his face again. "Sorry," he apologized. "I don't like being reminded of her."

Kat relaxed a little. "Yeah, I know my mom can be pretty difficult." He raised an eyebrow at the discovery of the relation but said nothing to it. "Anyway, I..." Kat bit her lower lip. She hadn't thought of how to phrase her question. "Um, well, y-you see, I'm looking for my father. Mom never talks about him, and I've never seen him. Someone at Mom's work told me about how you and Mom dated, so I guess... I-I guess I just wanted to know if you were...you know..." She couldn't get it out, but Ushio understood.

"No," he answered simply. "I'm sorry."

Her shoulders slumped. "I should have figured," she admitted. "Would you happen to know of anyone else?"

"No," he repeated. "I honestly barely knew your mother, and after only two months, we broke it off and I never wanted to see her again."

"I- I'm sorry," she stammered, but he shook his head.

"That's not your fault. I'm sorry for glaring at you earlier, that wasn't right. You're a good-"

"What are  _you_ doing here?" a snooty voice snap. Kat tensed. She knew that voice, and sure enough, Scythia came next to her father. She had her frown and accusing brown eyes as usual, and her white-as-snow skin glowed from the sunlight. Her light purple hair was done up in pigtails, and for whatever reason she was wearing a school uniform outfit: a collared white long sleeve shirt with a sky blue ribbon serving as a tie, a gray vest, and a navy blue plaid skirt. Kat always hated running into the girl that was one grade below her; she was like Shigeru and his four friends, only there was one and she was ten times worse. There was just something about the way she said things that always got Kat on edge. Not to mention Scythia had declared the two of them dancing rivals; if they went to different high schools, Scythia said her team would blow Kat's away, and if they went to the same one, Scythia decided she would be team captain. It was annoying, but unlike with any of Shigeru's taunts, Kat could never seem to fight back.

"I needed to ask your father a question-"

"I  _heard_ ," Scythia snapped. "What I want to know is what idiotic part of your brain thought we share the same father."

Idiotic? Kat knew she should have been insulted, and she kind of was, but not as much as she should have been. "It was my only lead, I-"

"Listen,  _Freak_ ," the eleven-year-old hissed, her finger jabbing into Kat's developing chest. "I'm going to tell you  _exactly_ why your father left: he doesn't like you. It's quite obvious why."

She had heard this speech before plenty of times from Shigeru, Scythia, and even a few other random kids, but for whatever reason it hurt more than ever. "Scythia, that's not nice-"

"Shut up, Dad!" Ushio's daughter spat. "She's a freak; there's nothing wrong with talking to her this way."

Yes there was! Kat was now seriously wondering why she was called "Freak". She looked no different than anyone else, and yeah she got into more trouble than most people her age, but that didn't constitute for the nickname either. And even if she was a "freak", that didn't give anyone the right to talk to her like she was common trash. "Scythia, stop it," Kat demanded.

"Or what, you're going to cry to Mommy?" the girl angrily mocked. "Oh wait, Mommy doesn't care. Mommy loves the computer more than she loves you."

Kat was usually never the one to get upset about someone pointing out her mother didn't love her; it was a fact she had come to terms with. But this time Kat's throat tightened at Scythia's accusation. "No!" she argued, her voice cracking slightly.

"Guess what else," Scythia continued, ignoring her cry. "Your 'friends' don't care either. They probably can't wait to get away from you every time they go home. They're only friends with you because they want to be good people."

"Scythia, inside right-"

"Your precious grandmother probably likes having the house feline free, too," the purple haired girl accused, cutting off her father.

"Don't bring Gran Gran into this!" Kat shouted, her voice cracking again as tears began to form.

"And every single person you thought 'cared' for you: they all  _pity_ you at best,  _loath_ you at worst."

Everyone? As in Yamcha, Puar, Mr. Popo, Dende, Piccolo, the Ox-King, Chi-Chi, Goten, Gohan, Bulma, Trunks...

Vegeta.

The thought of all of them secretly despising her sounded too stupid to be real and too real to doubt, and because of it Kat  _snapped_. She had always threatened to punch her tormentors or engage in a fight with them but she never went through with it. Yet this time Kat had been pushed too far over the edge. With tears running down her face and a battle cry, she punched Scythia right in the face and sent her crashing into the carpet, and soon the tormentor began to wail. Kat, meanwhile, was breathing hard in pure anger, but suddenly she felt dozens of eyes. She looked around her and finally noticed they had attracted an audience of people walking their pets or hanging out in their lawns. Kat stared at their wide eyes for a few moments before looking back at Scythia in a fetal position, cradling her face and crying her eyes out. Then Kat looked to the girl's father, who appeared to be shocked at the scene that had played out before him. Kat's furious face transformed into one of horror, and she took a few steps back before whipping around and bolting, her tears falling harder.

She wanted to be alone. She wanted to talk to no one, she didn't want to see anyone, and she didn't want anyone to see her. She begged to become invisible to the world as she ran a good distance before not caring anymore and flying off like a rocket. She didn't know where she was flying to; all she knew was that she wanted it to be far away from anyone. She wasn't so lucky, though, as she collided with a pole that sent her tumbling onto the roof of a building that overlooked the ocean. Now she was the one in a fetal position, hugging her knees to her chest and bawling as hard as she could.

Life was so unfair. Kat just wanted it to end. No one would miss her, anyway. Scythia was right...right? No, of course not. What did she know? Kat's friends would  _never_ think such things... Would they? She continued to engage herself in an argument over what her friends thought of her, and she was so caught up in it she didn't notice Vegeta's energy approaching and landing on the building. "Kat?" he called out, and that finally got her to sit up. She noticed the confused look on his face as he scanned the rooftop, as if he couldn't find her.  _Is he messing with me?_ She shook that thought away.

"Vegeta?" she questioned, her voice hoarse. His head snapped so he was looking at her, and he looked surprised for a bit before he went to a serious face with maybe - just  _maybe_ \- a hint of concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Scythia's accusations rang in her head, so Kat looked at the concrete. "I don't want to talk to anyone," she muttered.

"This isn't about what you want, it's what you need," Vegeta replied. "I sensed your unease from your ki, so I came to find you. This isn't something I do often and you know it. I'll ask again: what's wrong?"

"Just stop!" Kat shouted, her thoughts spinning out of control. "I don't need your pity! You loathe me, right? Why are you here if you loathe me?"

"Loathe? Pity?" the man repeated, slightly offended. "Who said that?"

"No one needs to say it; I know! All of you despise me!"

Vegeta couldn't believe this. "What would ever give you such a stupid idea?" This time Kat didn't respond, preferring to keep her head down with clenched fists and tears still going down her face. Vegeta sighed and walked towards her until he was about three or four inches away. "Kat," he said in the gentlest way he could, "talk to me."

Now her head snapped up, and she looked at his face, which had even more concern than before. The tears began to flow quickly again, and then she began to wail. Without thinking, she jumped up and hugged him. Vegeta tensed, not used to something like that, and he didn't return the hug. Kat didn't seem to mind and just cried into his shirt. He noticed it was getting hard for her to stand, and when she began to sink to her knees, Vegeta followed. He let her go for a while as he pondered on what to do. Vegeta finally came to a decision, and tentatively went to take her hair out of the bun. With the hair tie around his ungloved wrist, he began to slowly brush through her shoulder length hair. Kat stiffened, not used to such a gesture from him, but quickly relaxed, because she liked the feeling of his warm fingers gliding themselves through her silky hair. About a minute passed before Kat told him all that transpired. "A-and everything k-kind of made s-sense, s-so yeah," she finished.

He scoffed. "How could any of that make sense?" he argued. "You're seriously going to believe that bratty girl over us?"

"Well- I-I mean...no," Kat mumbled with shame.

"Exactly, so there's no reason to get this worked up."

If it were anyone else, Kat would be mad that they weren't giving good advice. For Vegeta, this  _was_ good advice, especially in this situation. "I actually agree," Kat admitted. "I hear that same speech all the time, but this time I just lost it. It's not any different from any other speech, so I don't know why I reacted the way I did."

Vegeta was silent for a while. "When I worked for Frieza," he began. Kat's eyes widened.  _He's telling me a story?_ "Every day the damn bastard would torture me, physically and psychologically. The first few times it was painful; it almost made me want to bend to his will right then and there. But as days turned into months and months turned into years, the sessions - while painful - didn't make me want to break. Actually, quite the opposite. I wanted to fight, but I restrained, hoping for the right time. Even when Zarbon and Dodoria were there, it didn't matter. The Ginyu Force, too. I could easily handle a session with all of them present." He breathed in and then exhaled. "It was when Frieza would decide to bring in the rest of the army that I would lose it. The one that always comes to mind was about a month before I turned twelve. You remember I told you Saiyans have - or rather,  _did_ have - tails, right?"

"Yeah."

"When a Saiyan turns twelve, or even a few months after, their tail no longer regrows when cut. Frieza, his right hand men, and the Ginyus used to pull it off as torture. But they couldn't do that anymore after that, and instead of just informing those seven, Frieza decided to call in everyone and tell them about a Saiyan's one physical weakness: his tail." He took another breath. "They mocked me, either that or pitied. And when I told Frieza I wasn't grateful that no one would cut off my tail anymore because they would just break it, he tortured me in front of everyone. He ordered me to tell him I was grateful, he ordered me to be broken." He rubbed his thumb gently on her scalp. "I fell unconscious before I did, and I was lucky to do so, because in front of that crowd, I probably would have. When I woke up from the regeneration tank, I still felt humiliated. It was the same song and dance, but there were new faces.

"So when that girl insulted you, it wasn't what she said or how she said it, but rather the people that were watching. There were neighbors of hers and strangers, not to mention the man who - while you learned he wasn't -  _could_ have been your father, and you at the very least respected him. It's honestly not hard to see why you lashed out and retaliated, and really, that girl got what she deserved. If she's going to say such things to you, then she should have known you would fight back."

Kat nodded, and then her arms unwrapped themselves from around him and fell to her sides as she laid her head on Vegeta's lower chest. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"The only thing you have to be sorry for is falling for such ridiculous lies," Vegeta told her.

She nodded again. "How come you're doing this?"

He didn't answer for about a minute. "I'm not sure," he finally confessed. "It felt like something I had to do. Like I said, I don't do this often. Don't get used to it."

A small smile appeared on her face and she closed her eyes, listening to the steady beating of his heart. "Okay," she acknowledged.

Neither of them moved for about half an hour, too content with where they were.

...

"Oh thank goodness!" Sam cried as Kat walked back in. "I was getting worried! What took you so long?"

"Ushio gave me a few more leads," Kat lied. "They were all duds, though."

Sam sighed. "Oh. Sorry, Kiddo," she stated. "But don't give up; you'll find him some day."

The girl smirked. "You don't have to tell me that. I won't quit until I find him."

_No matter who you are or where you are, Dad, I will find you. And I know I won't be disappointed._


	9. The Most Terrifying Being

Vegeta concentrated more than he ever had before. Forget firing his Final Flash against Perfect Cell,  _this_ was concentration. He kept it up, hoping to get the result he desired. He concentrated and concentrated and concentrated and-

Damn it! He failed again! No, he wasn't about to give up. Vegeta  _had_ to do this! So he concentrated again and-

ARGH! He failed even  _faster_ this time! This was something that should come naturally to him, the final Prince of the Saiyans, but he just kept failing! Well, the third time was the charm...except the third time was 46 tries ago.

He concentrated again, and something began to change. Yes! He was doing it! Okay, just a little bit more of a push and- "Vegeta, what the hell are you doing?" The dull question of his student made him jump straight out of his chair and almost collide with the ceiling. Trunks' laughter rang in his ears for the 50th time, and he growled in frustration. He had been so close!

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Vegeta snapped as he spun around and glared at her.

Kat just raised an eyebrow, and his left eye twitch. She didn't react either! "First, I walked in like a normal person," she stated. "Second, you were the one who told me to always me on guard." Damn it, she was right. "Third, why were you scowling and glaring at Trunks?"

The Saiyan floated back down to the floor. "Because I was," he answered.

"What, you want to make him cry?" Kat asked dully.

"Yes."

Now her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "WHY?!" she cried.

"Because he hasn't cried at my face for three months," Vegeta explained, pissed off at the fact he stated. She stared at him in disbelief, and then Vegeta raised an eyebrow as Kat's face contorted. It looked like she was trying to hold back something - most likely anger, judging by her face. But then he was proved wrong as she clutched her stomach with her arms and began roaring with laughter. Trunks began laughing too, and now Vegeta was really pissed. "SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" he bellowed. He was the one who was supposed to be in control, damn it!

It took them awhile to calm down, with Trunks going first since he had no idea what was so funny anyway. Kat, however, took an extremely long time to finally stop. "Okay...okay..." she breathed out. But just as she began to putter out, she started up again, though not as loud this time. Still, his eye twitched again. This is what he got for babysitting Trunks while everyone else was away. Maybe he really did need to get a job. Stupid Earth. "You  _what_? You want Trunks to cry? Oh Kami,  _that_ is hilarious. You want your son to fear you just from your face alone? This is  _too_ good."

"Oh shut up," Vegeta snapped again, crossing his arms. Then he glared, to which she still didn't waver. This crap was getting old. "You should be shaking in fear as well."

"Me?" Kat questioned mockingly. "Scared of you? Please. I could probably have you groveling at my feet faster than I would for you."

"Don't think highly of yourself," Vegeta growled, although he was smirking. "Just because you can hold an argument, don't think you can have me running scared. I'm the Prince of Saiyans; you're just a kid."

"A kid who can kick your ass," she replied, smirking as well. "Besides, if you can't scare Bulma, how could you expect to scare anyone else?"

Vegeta laughed. "You're sounding as if  _you_ could scare her," he stated. "Please. I'd have an easier time. In fact, I have."

"Not since Namek," Kat pointed out. "You probably couldn't do it even if you tried. Oh wait, you are trying, and failing miserably. I bet I could have her at my feet in a few minutes."

"A few minutes? That's too long.  _I'd_ have her down in a few seconds."

"Yeah right. You wove her too much."

"Ha ha," Vegeta said dryly. "I can still scare her."

"Faster than me? You're dreaming."

"I can do it faster and better."

"Yeah right- uh, Vegeta?"

"What, admitting defeat?"

"Vegeta-"

He smirked wider. "Not until you can prove you can scare her easier."

" _Vegeta._ "

That wasn't Kat's voice.

Slowly, Vegeta turned around to find a furious Bulma, her face completely red. Her eyes were on fire and her whole body was shaking in anger. "You two want to  _what_?" she inquired, her voice trembling in total rage.

The two stared at her with their eyes wide before they flew off at blinding speeds towards the gravity room, their safe haven. Kat slammed the door closed behind them as they breathed heavily, their eyes still wide in fear. Then they looked at each other with fear filled eyes. "...Never mind," Kat said quietly. "Bulma is the most terrifying being in the universe.

Vegeta stared at her for a bit. "...Yeah. I think you're right."


	10. Happy Birthday

October once more. Kat sighed. She couldn't believe more than a year had passed since she met Vegeta and everyone else. It only felt like yesterday. Then something dawned on her. Last year had been so busy with her starting up her training and trying to gain ki that she never got the chance to tell anyone about her birthday. They didn't celebrate Halloween or Christmas either! Well, the gang probably celebrated Christmas with their families, but as usual Kat was only left with Gran Gran. Which wasn't a bad thing, she just wanted to be around more people.

Her birthday was always lonely, too. October 17th was a day she both yearned for and dreaded every year, especially if it was on a Friday, which it was this year. It was the day she became one year older, spend the day with her friends and grandmother, and be reminded she only had those three. Last year there should have been more, but it completely slipped her mind to tell everyone in the Brief household, Yamcha, and Puar; and by the time she met Gohan and the others, her birthday had long since passed. Kat knew she should tell them at some point, especially since her birthday was in 7 days, but she didn't want to sound like a spoiled brat parading around about how special they should be treating her.

Thank you Bulma Brief for the rescue.

"Hey Kat," the woman asked as Kat entertained a now two-year-old Trunks. "I can't believe I forgot to ask this, but when's your birthday?"

Kat looked at her. "October 17th," she revealed shyly.

Bulma's hands slammed on the table in surprise. "But that's only in a week!" she cried. "Kat, why didn't you say something sooner?"

"It never came up before," Kat replied. "I didn't think it was important enough-"

"Not important enough?!" Bulma repeated in disbelief. "Kat, this is your  _birthday_ we're talking about! Of course it's important!"

"What's important?" Vegeta asked as he walked into the living room, finally awake from his catnap.

"Kat's birthday," Bulma told him. "It's in a week!"

"Bulma, please, you don't need to make such a big deal about it," Kat said.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "From what I understand, birthdays are very important on Earth," he pointed out.

"Not mine," she stated sadly.

"Well it will be this year!" Bulma decided. "Leave everything to me, Kat. I'll make a birthday party you'll never forget!"

The girl's eyes widened and she furiously shook her head. "Please Bulma, don't do that," she begged. "I don't need something like that."

"You're too humble for your own good," Vegeta noted. "It's a party; you're not asking us to get on our knees and bow. I don't see a problem with this." Kat still didn't look convinced, so Vegeta decided to resort to his secret weapon. "What do you think, Trunks? Sound like fun?"

"Sound like fun!" Trunks parroted with enthusiasm.

His babysitter gulped. "Well, I uh, I-I'm still not-"

"Fun, fun, fun!" Trunks cried, a huge grin on his face.

Oh, how Kat didn't want to disappoint that happy face. Vegeta knew that, and that was why he asked Trunks in the first place. Occasionally he was like his father but in some instances like this one, he seemed to take after his grandmother, only he was torturously cute. "Fine, go ahead," Kat caved in. "But nothing too extraordinary, please."

"Of course," Bulma promised. "You're the birthday girl. Speaking of which, anything requests? It could be anything."

She thought if she really wanted something. "Um... Karaoke?"

"Great idea!" Bulma agreed. Then there was an evil glint in her eye, but Kat caught it and knew exactly why.

"Please don't make him," Kat said. "Vegeta doesn't need to be there at all, really. I know he doesn't like social gatherings."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow again. "I don't know what this 'karaoke' is," he stated, "although I do agree. But I'm going to be there, count on it."

"Y-you don't have to!" Kat told him.

"It's important to you, so I don't see why I shouldn't."

Kat looked at him in wonder, and then at the ground sadly. "Because this is something that's a waste of your time," she muttered.

It was silent for a while, and then he put a hand on top of her head. "I'll be there." He rubbed her hair, and then he walked away.

He didn't need to go, but he wanted to, and Kat couldn't believe it.  _Well, maybe he'll change his mind,_ she thought.  _Scratch that, he will. I know you well, Vegeta, you don't have to try making me feel better._

All week, Kat was tense, wondering what exactly Bulma had planned. She apologized to Mitsumi and Yuki, saying they wouldn't be able to celebrate like they usually did, but they just shrugged their shoulders. Kat was confused at how so calmly they took it; even her grandmother wasn't bothered. "I'm glad you're doing something different this year," was all she told Kat, a sweet smile on her old face.

"What's different this year?" a voice asked. Kat and Natane looked at the front door, surprised to find Kagari had come home early on a Thursday.

Natane smiled at her daughter. "Kat and her friends are doing something extra special for her birthday this year," she explained.

"Hn." There was silence. "I'm tired," Kagari announced, and she went up to her room.

The two watched her disappear. "Gran Gran," Kat began, "why does she hate me and Dad? What's so bad about us?"

"She didn't really know your father," Natane revealed. "And I don't think she was quite ready to be a mother. The reason you're here, though, is because of me. I didn't want you to be anywhere else." Kat looked at her. "I'm sorry, my dear. My selfishness has caused you misery."

Her granddaughter continued to stare, and then she smiled. "But I love you, Gran Gran," she said. "You always make me feel loved here, and even if Mom is here...or  _isn't_ , I don't think I'd want to be anywhere without you." Natane smiled, and Kat gave her a hug. "You're not selfish, Gran Gran, far from it. Thank you for loving me."

"Always, dear. Always."

Friday afternoon came up fast, and for once Kat didn't have to go home early. Thanks to her mother's annual decision to stay in the office building, there was no dinner. Usually Kat actually wanted to go to a dinner on her birthday - because maybe she would finally get attention, she naively thought - but this year she was going to Capsule Corp., and she had no idea what would happen. Kat momentarily thought about going home to change as she left school, but she looked at her outfit: a necklace with an orange opal - her birthstone - that Mitsumi got for her on her ninth birthday, a black tank top, a black skirt with red plaid on the sides, and white sneakers. It was going to be casual (hopefully), and with a sigh and butterflies in her stomach, Kat decided to fly straight to Capsule Corp. and deal with whatever Bulma had planned. When she landed in the front lawn, Mrs. Brief was out there to greet her. "Well if it isn't the birthday girl!" she exclaimed cheerfully. Kat nodded. "Bulma still needs to prepare a few things. Would you like to see the koi pond while we wait?"

Kat didn't get why they couldn't go inside and just maneuver around what Bulma was doing, but decided to go along with it. Besides, she liked looking at koi fish, and she didn't even know they had some. "Sure," she agreed. Mrs. Brief smiled even bigger and led the small girl to the pond. They watched the fish swim. "They're really pretty."

"We take good care of them," Mrs. Brief reported. "Our daughters just love them, though we have to keep the cats away. They try to eat them."

"I'm offended," Kat joked, and Mrs. Brief giggled. She was a strange woman; sometimes she was completely oblivious and sometimes she was as sharp as a recently sharpened knife.  _Maybe she just pretends to be ditzy,_ Kat concluded. They continued to watch the fish swim for a while before Dr. Brief appeared.

"Ah, there you two are," he said. "I had a feeling this is where you'd be. Bulma's all ready for you, so shall we go?" Kat nodded, feeling the butterflies return, and she followed the old couple back to the front door. "We're going to the fourth floor lounge," the scientist informed as they walked inside. He led the ladies to the elevator, and the ride felt slower than normal to Kat. When the door finally opened, Kat's legs felt like Jell-O. They went to the door of the lounge, and Dr. Brief let her open the door. And when Kat did...

" **HAPPY BIRTHDAY!** " the entire gang shouted minus Vegeta, but he was there just as he said he would. Kat's jaw dropped. It wasn't just Bulma and her family like she had thought; the woman had gathered Yamcha, Puar, Gohan and his family. She recognized Krillin, and she wondered how awkward it felt for him since they hadn't met before. There was an old man, a pig, and a sea turtle as well, none of whom Kat knew at all. But the three that caught her eye were Mitsumi, Yuki, and Gran Gran. Instantly Kat knew the reason Mrs. Brief had coaxed her away wasn't because Bulma wasn't ready, but because they were waiting for the three of them and needed Kat to not realize they were coming.

Kat began to cry.

No one stopped her, because they quickly understood that Kat was beyond happy. There had never been this many people before, and all of them cared (well, she assumed Krillin and the unknown three did). Her legs felt even more like Jell-O, and just as she was about to collapse onto the floor, Gohan enveloped her in a hug. She looked at him and noticed he was smiling softly. She sniffed and tried to wipe her tears, but Gohan made sure her arms didn't move. Kat felt so overwhelmingly happy. "Thank you," she whispered. She leaned her head against his chest. "Thank you."

"Of course, we're your friends," Gohan told her. "Sorry we couldn't get Piccolo and the others, though. They can't leave the Lookout."

"That's okay," Kat assured. "I didn't expect more than five; this is amazing."

"Glad you feel that way, Kid," Bulma stated as she walked over, a grin on her face. "So, you ready to get things started?" Kat nodded. "Alright then, guys, it's time to party!" Everyone cheered.

Since it was a birthday party for an eleven-year-old, Kat worried the adults would get bored easily. But she undermined how everyone just wanted to hang out with friends. The first thing everyone did was grab food, a majority of which were Kat's favorites. While Kat had trouble deciding what she wanted, Krillin came up beside her. "Having difficulty?" he chuckled.

She nodded. "Usually my friends and I just get pizza. I never expected all of this."

Krillin laughed. "Well that's Bulma for ya," he said. "She really knows how to put together a party."

Finally deciding on something, Kat began to put her plate together. "I'm sorry if this is awkward for you," she apologized.

"Awkward?" he repeated. "No way. A friend of Bulma and Gohan is a friend of mine." He smiled, and Kat smiled back.

"So, do you know those three?" Kat asked, pointing to the old man and the pig - who were pissing Bulma off for some reason - and the turtle as well.

"Well, that's Master Roshi," Krillin began with the old man. "I live at his house because I have nowhere else to go. He was my master, as well as Goku's and Yamcha's."

"He taught Goku?"

He nodded. "He used to be a great Martial Arts master, but...uh-"

"Mr. Satan?"

"Yeah!" Krillin laughed. "Anyway, the pig is Oolong. He's a shape shifter, and one of Goku's older friends. He lives with Master Roshi, too. And the sea turtle...well, we just call him Turtle. He's kind of Master Roshi's pet, except not."

"So you brought them because you were coming?"

"I figured I shouldn't have left them out, even if-"

"YOU OLD PERV!" Bulma suddenly screeched, and suddenly Roshi was punched to the other side of the room. Everyone fell silent and looked at the injured old man with wide eyes.

Krillin blinked. "Even if he does things like that," he pointed out.

The birthday girl stared, and then she went to get punch. "I'm eleven," she told him. Krillin laughed.

With food on everyone's plates, Bulma brought out a disk-looking object, and Kat had a feeling she knew what it was. The scientist instructed everyone to sit in a circle, minus her parents - who held the babies - the Ox-King and Turtle since they all decided to watch. Kat's grandmother sat in a chair as well, but she was apart of the circle. Bulma had to coax Vegeta to sit in the circle, and eventually it worked despite Kat's own protests. "So, what are we doing?" Chi-Chi inquired once Vegeta grumpily sat down next to Kat.

" _Catch Phrase_ ," Bulma revealed.

"Really?!" Kat squealed happily.

"What's  _Catch Phrase_?" Yamcha asked.

"It's a word guessing game," Bulma explained. "We split into two teams. One member of a team starts the timer and tries to get their team to guess the displayed word or phrase. You can make any physical gesture and give almost any verbal clue, but you can't say a word that rhymes with any of the words, give the first letter of a word, say the number of syllables, or say part of any word in the clue. When the team guesses correctly, the other team takes its turn, and the round continues until the timer runs out. The team not holding the disc when time runs out scores a point. The first team to score 7 points wins." She looked around the circle. "I set us up this way because I figured it should be boys vs. girls."

Everyone looked around the circle and noticed that Bulma had set up the circle so it alternated between the genders (well, almost; Puar barely took up a spot, so it looked like Yamcha was sitting next to Krillin). "But the boys have one more member!" Mitsumi pointed out.

"Aw, you want a handicap?" Yuki taunted.

"I want it to be fair!"

After about a minute of arguing Oolong decided to step out to make the teams even. Yuki made fun of the brown haired girl for a bit before Chi-Chi slapped him upside the head. He rubbed his head while Mitsumi and Gohan chuckled, and Bulma handed the disk to Kat. "You go first, birthday girl, and we'll go clockwise," the woman instructed.

Kat nodded, and they all agreed to use the "Everything" category. She pressed the start button and Kat barely held in laughter as she eyed the man next to her. She smirked. "Arrogant," she stated.

All of the females noted her eyes and grinned mischievously except for Natane, who smiled innocently. "Prince!" they all shouted minus the old woman, though she did say it. Even the other males laughed and Vegeta glared before slapping Kat upside the head - though she still had a victorious grin - and taking the disk. He pressed the button, raised an eyebrow, and then had a smirk of his own as he eyed Kat.

"Obnoxious," he described.

Gohan noticed his eyes on Kat and smiled. "Little girl," he guessed. Kat dropped her grin and glared at Vegeta, to which he only smirked wider and handed the device to Bulma.

As the game continued tensions were high, but in a good way. Everyone was competitive and that only made things more fun, especially when a round would end. There would be a chorus of cheers and groans, and it depended on who won or lost. After a while even Vegeta got into it, and everyone got a kick out of the faces he made whether it was of victory or defeat. But the one who had the most fun was Kat. A game of  _Catch Phrase_ had never been this big before, and therefore it hadn't been as competitive. For the entire game it was neck and neck, and they had to play all thirteen rounds. Everyone was twitching nervously when the timer started; whoever won this round won the whole thing. It landed in Kat's hands and she hit the button. She was taken aback by the word but kept going. "A man who looks after you," she said.

"Servant!" Puar cried. The look in Kat's eyes told all of the members of her team that it was gentler.

"Guardian!" Mitsumi called out.

"Caretaker," Chi-Chi suggested.

"Father?" Bulma mused.

"Almost," Kat hinted.

Natane mulled over it, and then she had an idea. "Father Figure." Kat beamed and handed it off to Vegeta and as soon as he took it, the buzzer went off. The females whooped and cheered in victory as the males groaned in defeat. Vegeta added a growl of frustration. He didn't like losing, especially since the loss had been in his hands. He wanted to destroy the cursed device, but Bulma would throw a fit and he would lose dignity for getting angry at losing a simple Earth game.

"You're lucky it's your birthday," Vegeta grumbled so quietly only Kat heard it.

She just smiled sweetly at him. "Come off it, you had fun," she told him. Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Thank you for playing with us. It meant a lot."

Vegeta eyed her, noting the gleeful look in her lapis lazuli eyes. He found himself unable to stay grumpy but he didn't let it show except for a quick, "No problem."

For a while afterwards everyone conversed and picked at some of the food. Kat didn't care if she couldn't talk to everyone at once or if talked to some people more than others; usually on her birthday it would just be Mitsumi and Yuki (maybe Gran Gran if she was up to dealing with three kids), they would go to an arcade or the movies or the park, have pizza, give presents, and go home. But this time there was so much to talk about, games to play, and more food. Kat smiled big; she loved this. After about 20 minutes, Bulma brought out karaoke per Kat's request, and after all the elders and Turtle said they wouldn't participate, everyone's singing skills were put forth.

Krillin and Master Roshi were hands down the worst of the worst. They barely got halfway through before Vegeta threatened to blast them, and for once no one tried to stop him. Puar and Oolong were a tad better - getting through the song - but Vegeta still didn't see the point of karaoke, even giving Kat a questioning stare. Ironically, it was Yamcha singing  _Tear In My Heart_ by Twenty One Pilots that convinced the Saiyan to stay and watch the rest. The former desert bandit wasn't the best, but he was nowhere near bad.

After him, the singing just got better. Bulma sang DJ Snake's  _You Know You Like It_ , which got Kat to try and force herself not to dance. It didn't work, not that Bulma minded. She just liked seeing the birthday girl happy, and Kat even got the other three kids to participate with her just because of the aura she gave off. Chi-Chi did something that was a bit personal:  _Thank You_ by Dido, and it was clear it was about her boys, even Goku. Even if the widow wasn't the best singer, she definitely got plenty of kudos.

To lighten the mood a little more, Mitsumi decided to go with Meghan Trainor's  _Lips Are Moving_ , and Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle with the rest of the gang when Bulma got into and Yamcha began to look sheepish. Yuki and Gohan agreed to do a duet of  _Chasing After You_ by O-Town, which surprised everyone. Not from Yuki's end but from Gohan's. Chi-Chi was about to flip out at her sweet, innocent boy singing such a song, but Bulma and Krillin held her back. The Z Warriors sometimes forgot Gohan was still a kid, and once the two boys got into the song, everyone noticed how much fun the half-breed was having. Chi-Chi decided to back off, and that gave the crowd a chance to realize that Yuki was easily the best singer and surprisingly Gohan was amazing as well. The green haired boy was better in the end, but no one expected Gohan to be as good as he was nor did they expect him to know the song before hand. Apparently, while he was doing homework one day, he had been listening to the radio and heard the song.

It instantly became a favorite, he reported.

Being the birthday girl, Kat went last. Some of the gang had tried to get Vegeta to go, but after Kat said he didn't have to and after his own death threats they backed off. Kat looked through the selection, thinking about which one she wanted. There were so many she liked, and after about a minute of going over the choices one caught her eye. She smiled as she picked the song. Not only did she like this song but she also felt it fit so well. Even if she was nowhere near as good as the boys who had gone before her, she put her heart into it.

_You think you're going nowhere_

_When you're walking down the street_

_You're acting like you just don't care_

_When life can be so sweet_

_Why you wanna be like that_

_Cause if there's nothing new_

_You're not fooling no one_

_You're not even fooling you_

_Why Not_ by Hillary Duff had always held a special place in her heart because Kat always did want to do something. Now it meant more than ever before, because she had. The result: the birthday party in front of her.

_So walk a little slower_

_and open up your eyes_

_Sometimes it's so hard to see_

_the good things passing by_

_There may never be a sign_

_No flashing neon light_

_Telling you to make your move_

_Or when the time is right_

The gang got into the happiness Kat was emitting, and she loved looking at the grins in front of her. They loved how she was beaming and having a great time. No one was happier for her than her grandmother, though, who sat in her chair proud as a peacock.

_(So) Why not_

_Take a crazy chance_

_Why not_

_Do a crazy dance_

_If you lose the moment_

_you might lose a lot_

_So why not_

_Why not_

Kat continued singing one of her favorite songs, and she loved every second of it. By the end, her cheeks hurt from how much she was beaming, but it didn't matter to her. When the song was over, everyone cheered for her; the birthday girl couldn't help but laugh as she expressed her happiness. She handed the mike back to Bulma so she could put everything away, and then Kat felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find Vegeta looking at her. "You did good," he complimented. Despite the ache in her cheeks, Kat smiled again.

Natane and Mrs. Brief had wandered off, and Kat wondered where they were. The two grandmothers soon came back, each of them holding a triple cream cheese icing layered red velvet cake. Kat nearly drooled at the sight. "That wouldn't happen to be Great Grandma's recipe, would it?" Kat hoped.

"You bet, dear!" Mrs. Brief informed. "I hope you have more of your mother's recipes, Natane. I have to try them!"

"They should be around somewhere," Gran Gran replied. "I'll make sure to give them to you when I find them, Panchy. But for right now, how about we celebrate?" She held out the cake, the scent flooding Kat's nostrils.

The birthday girl seriously wondered if she had died and gone to Other World.

Bulma lit the candles on Natane's cake, and everyone sang Kat "Happy Birthday" - except Vegeta who, Kat noticed, rolled his eyes and she laughed inwardly at it. She blew out the eleven candles and then everyone was served a piece. Kat took the first bite, loving how it melted in her mouth. With that cue, the gang began to dig in, and they all had to pause to comprehend how good it was. Gohan looked at Kat with wide eyes. "Do you have this for your birthday every year?" he asked.

"And special occasions," Kat informed.

Gohan could only stare in disbelief at how lucky she was before he ordered, "Tell me every time you have this."

"Why? So your Saiyan appetite can take all of it?" the eleven-year-old girl joked.

"Very funny, coming from the girl who has the appetite of a Saiyan sometimes." Gohan gave a sly smile. "Or are you still trying to convince me I was the one who ate all of Grandpa's Spicy Beef Chow Mien two weeks ago?"

"I did not, you did!" Kat accused.

"You know, I'm surprised you didn't keel over from all of the food you ate when we sparred," Gohan chuckled.

Kat snorted. "You say that as if you won," she retorted.

"I did win."

"Did not!"

"Did too."

"Did  _not_!"

"Did  _too_!"

Suddenly Krillin snickered, catching their attention. "I think someone has a crush," the man teased, giving Gohan the evil eye.

The words took a while to sink in, and Gohan was the first to react. "Why would you say that?" he questioned, his face red.

Yamcha laughed. "Maybe you shouldn't have teased him about 18," he pointed out. Then he gave off a sly smile to the former monk. "Speaking of 18, how was that-"

"We don't talk about that!" Krillin interrupted, blushing as well.

"Well then don't go making up things that aren't true!" Kat yelled. She too was red in the face, and she tried to distract herself by eating her slice.

"He never said you," Yuki brought up. "Are you implying something, Kitty?"

Man how she hated that nickname. "No, I'm just saying-"

" _Liar~_ ," Mitsumi sang.

"I'm not lying!" Suddenly Vegeta's arm was resting on her head. She hated that, too. Why did she have to be so short?

"Kakarot's boy," he mumbled as he ate. "Interesting choice."

"Oh shut up!" He chuckled quietly.

Once again everyone began to converse but it didn't last as long as before karaoke. Perhaps it was because Kat wanted presents or maybe because she was tired of hearing her two oldest friends teasing her. Whatever the case, everyone began to give the girl her presents.

First up were Yamcha and Puar, who gave her an orange canvas rucksack backpack. It was definitely something she needed; her old orange Jansport one was almost completely useless now. Krillin, Oolong, and Turtle had combined their efforts to give her an Adventure/Fantasy book titled  _Paint the Wind_ , which was about a young girl would was tied down by her grandmother's rules and learned to be free thanks to a beautiful wild mustang named Artemisia. Apparently the setting in some strange version of Earth with an even stranger place called Wyoming. Well, before then there was also a place called California, which seemed just as strange if not stranger. Next was Master Roshi, but his present didn't last very long. Much like the backpack his present was needed but...Kat really didn't want a training bra as a gift. She incinerated the thing, not realizing she had shot out a ki blast until Vegeta doubled over on the floor laughing. Meanwhile Bulma smacked the old Martial Arts master with an empty silver tray.

While Roshi's former students tended to him and scolded a little, Chi-Chi gave Kat a homemade blue-with-white-polka dots scarf. The black-haired woman had made it with Cashmere so it was extremely soft to the touch. Kat had to give it to her grandmother so she would stop gliding it along her face. The Ox-King had made a cookbook with all of the recipes Kat enjoyed from him, and the Brief elders gave her a gold bracelet with watermelon tourmalines dotting the band. Yuki had gotten her a new fighting video game, Mitsumi presented her with a new training outfit, and Gran Gran gave her 5,000 zeni to spend on whatever Kat wanted.

When it was Gohan's turn, he almost seemed reluctant to give the box to the birthday girl. He practically shoved it at her and turned away, clearly embarrassed. Kat opened the box and saw why: he had gotten her a brown teddy with a little orange scarf tied around its neck. It probably wouldn't have been as embarrassing if the two hadn't been bombarded by teasing comments. Despite the embarrassment, Kat kept the stuffed animal with her and gave a small, shy smile to Gohan, which he ended up returning.

Bulma and Vegeta were last, but Vegeta seemed embarrassed himself. Kat couldn't figure out why. "He's just embarrassed because he's the one who came up with the idea," Bulma giggled when she noticed Kat confusion.

"It was not my idea," Vegeta denied. "Besides, she won't want it, anyway. I've told you this already."

"How do you know?" Bulma inquired. The Saiyan Prince crossed his arms and grumbled an okay. The scientist handed over the small box, and Kat opened it.

"What is it?" Kat questioned.

"A necklace, silly," Bulma replied.

Kat rolled her eyes. "I meant what is the charm  _on_  the necklace?" she clarified. It was about two or three inches, and it looked like an anchor except it had three spikes at the top and there were two stripes before the curve, showing off the silver under the red glossy paint.

"The Saiyan Royal Family Crest," Vegeta revealed. "The woman suggested it."

"Perhaps, but you decided on getting her a necklace in the first place," the blue haired scientist responded, smiling.

She looked at Vegeta. "Why did you want to get me a necklace?" she asked.

"It was not my idea!" he repeated, scowling in embarrassment.

"He thought it would look good on you," Bulma stated.

"Stop putting words in my mouth, Woman!" the Saiyan barked.

The birthday girl looked at the necklace sparkling in the lights of the room. She took the necklace out of the box - noting how light it was - and then slipped it over her neck. It hung a tad lower than her opal necklace and was a bit cold but she knew it would warm up soon. Kat smiled. "Thank you, Bulma. Thank you, Vegeta."

Vegeta looked a bit flustered at being complimented, as if he didn't expect it. Kat could kind of see why: the idea of giving his Family's Crest as a gift was either personal or would seem narcissistic. The man quickly recovered and went back to an impassive look. "Sure," he mumbled.

His student smiled bigger, and Bulma was about to say something about it when her phone went off. If it were her personal ringtone, she wouldn't think twice about ignoring it. But the ringtone that came from the device meant work, specifically the front desk. She threw an apologetic look to the birthday girl and quickly walked out of the room. "What's that all about?" Master Roshi questioned.

"Dunno," Krillin sighed. "That's what you get for running the biggest company in the world, I suppose."

Suddenly Kat felt very anxious, and without realizing it she backed up towards Vegeta. He took notice. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" Her expression told him she had been doing it subconsciously.

"You were backing up," he told Kat. "Is something wrong?"

"I... I'm not really sure," she admitted. "I just feel anxious for some reason." The party watched as Bulma passed by the door - still talking on the phone - as she clearly headed for the stairs...or elevator. Point was, she was going to the bottom floors. A couple of minutes passed before Kat had the urge to follow. Before anyone knew what was going on, Kat ran out of the lounge.

"Kat, wait!" Gohan called after her. He followed her, and not even seconds later Vegeta joined him. The rest of the gang stayed put, confused.

The three quickly made their way to the bottom floor and found Bulma at the front door, talking to Kagari. "Mom?" The two women stopped and looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Wondering where you were," she replied. "You weren't home and neither was Mother."

"Gran Gran told you my friend and I were celebrating my birthday today," Kat reminded. "She came along."

"Hn." Kagari looked at Gohan. "Who's this?" The eleven-year-old boy could see the slight distaste in her eyes. Maybe it was his dad's unruly hair.

"My name's Gohan, ma'am," the boy informed, bowing as he did. He, much like Bulma had, only heard stories of Kat's mother but was already not fond of her. It was easy to see the effect the woman had on her daughter even if Kat didn't notice. Still he had been raised to be polite and not judge a book by its cover, so polite he would act. "I'm a friend of Kat's." She made another grunt of acknowledgement before it fell to silence. Kagari just stared at the four, and Gohan felt like he had to end it. He just hoped his idea didn't have negative repercussions. "So, um, would you like to join the party? There's plenty of food left and everyone is really friendly."

Kagari stared at him before snorting, "Why would I do that?"

 _Oh this cannot lead to anything good,_ Gohan thought with worry. But he decided to keep going, some part of his mind hoping that maybe if he stated his thoughts out loud, it would change her mind. "Well, it's Kat's birthday," he pointed out.

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

It took a minute for her words to sink in.  _Did...did she just say her daughter's birthday doesn't matter?_ Gohan questioned disbelievingly. He looked at his friend's face; she looked mortified that her mother had essentially said  _she_ didn't matter. The Demi Saiyan began to feel the bubbles of anger slowly rise in his stomach. "You shouldn't say things like that to your daughter," Gohan scolded, trying to force the bubbles down.

"If it were up to me, she wouldn't be my daughter in the first place."

Forget essentially, she flat out said it. And it took everything in Gohan's power to not instantly snap to Super Saiyan 2.

"How dare you!" Bulma suddenly screeched, her face red. "You don't get to say things like that about your own daughter! You want to know something: I wasn't ready to be a mother when Trunks was conceived, but I raised him anyway. He's my son, and I'll be damned if I abandon him ever!"

"You're assuming our situations are similar," Kagari huffed.

"Then enlighten me," Bulma challenged, her hands on her hips.

"I don't need to tell you how I ended up obtaining the girl," the black haired woman retorted.

Gohan was really surprised he wasn't losing it. "Obtaining?" he repeated, furious. "You make it sound like you found her on the side of the road, like she's a piece of garbage! Do you not understand how rude that is?"

But instead of answering him, Kagari glared at Kat, and for the first time the girl flinched under her mother's gaze. The incident with Scythia back in April had been pushed to the far corners of her mind, but now they were resurfacing; it was the same glare, but now there were new faces. "Look at what you did," she hissed. "You've turned everyone against me with your swindling ways." She went to seize Kat's wrist. "Let's-" Someone seized the woman's wrist first, and her violet eyes met a pair of glaring black ones.

"Leave," Vegeta warned as he growled.

"Not without my poor excuse for a daughter," Kagari snapped.

"Why? So you can make her grovel at your feet for forgiveness?" Vegeta's glare became harsher, and Kagari flinched. "She isn't the one to be begging for forgiveness; you are, for calling her a worthless pile of trash and not taking one lousy day out of your entire year to do something for her  _birthday_. You don't even do anything with her during breaks. I took my son to the mountains this January and Kat tagged along, saying she had never been outside the city because you refuse to have a day off to spend with her." He was almost truthfully, but Kagari didn't need to know that. "Are you serious? Bulma is right; she is your  _daughter_. If you don't want her, why didn't you give her to her father?"

"What is with you people and her worthless father?" the woman spat.

Vegeta sneered. "We have no information on him; excuse us for wanting to form our own opinion. But if you won't tell me about him, just answer my first question."

"Because he didn't want her," she answered. Then she snarled before snatching her wrist away. "Who would?" And with that, she stepped back and slammed the door.

The room became dreadfully silent before the sound of Kat's knees hitting the floor echoed through their ears. The three looked down to find her head hanging down with a downcast aura all around her. Gohan knelt down next to her. "Kat, she didn't-"

But Kat lowered her head even more, not wanting to hear whatever he had to say. "Happy Birthday to me," she muttered emotionlessly.

...

10:17 p.m., read the clock, and for the first time Kat stayed at Capsule Corp. for the night. When the fiasco with Kagari ended, the gang tried to cheer the birthday girl up with little success. Wishing her a happy birthday with the happiest moods they could muster, everyone left. Gran Gran tried to argue to stay at the mansion as well, but Bulma countered that the old woman should talk to her daughter, so she too left in hopes of getting Kagari to listen to reason. The lively woman didn't leave without kissing her granddaughter good night and saying how much she loved her with the warmest of smiles. Even Kat couldn't keep a frown for that.

Soon after her grandmother left, though, Kat found herself unable to sleep. It was 9 on the dot when she finally settled in the bed, wearing one of Bulma's old white shirt and flannel pajama pants. Both were a tad big on the small girl, and that didn't help her mood. Now, an hour and a half later, Kat predicted she was never going to fall asleep. As a depressing thought rang in her mind all she wanted to do was sink under the covers and never return. Just as she was about to try it, she felt Gohan's ki for some reason, and then there was a knock at the window. She sat up and turned to find him flying next to the fiberglass. Kat crawled over and opened it up, letting in the chilly October air. "Gohan? Why are you here?" she asked.

"I couldn't sleep," he answered. "It didn't sit right with me to just leave you, so I flew over here so I could talk with you." Then he grinned sheepishly. "Hopefully Mom doesn't get mad at me."

Kat chuckled before stopping abruptly and frowning. "At least she cares," she mumbled.

Gohan mimicked her frown and then climbed into the room to sit with her on the bed. "Look, if your mom doesn't see what an awesome daughter she has, then the fault is on her," he stated.

"Gohan, this isn't like that one asshole friend who can't see a good thing if you dangled it in front of their nose, this is my  _mom_ ," Kat countered. "She's the one who raised me up from a baby. Maybe she knows something about me that I don't, and maybe whatever that 'something' is might be wrong." She laid back down and curled up. "What if there's something wrong with me, Gohan? Moms are always right even when there wrong, so there has to be something wrong with me. Otherwise she wouldn't hate me so much."

"There's nothing wrong with you," Gohan argued, lying down and hugging his depressed friend. She slightly stiffened at the touch but slowly relaxed. "You work so hard and you're caring and funny and...and just all around amazing." He laughed quietly. "I mean, you even got Vegeta to defend you.  _Vegeta_."

She played with the sheet. "I still don't see how," she said.

"How?" Earth's hero repeated. "Kat, he tells it how he sees it. He's a brutally honest guy, and he thinks you're someone who deserves respect."

"But that kind of thing isn't something he likes doing," Kat told him, finally feeling tired. It was probably from how calmly Gohan was talking. "Just four months ago he was trying to get Trunks to cry by glaring at the poor kid. He wants to be-"

"The feared Prince of all blah blah blah Super Saiyan blah blah blah," Gohan sighed. "Sorry for him, but he has a family now, and you've told me before he cares about them. Maybe he does hate how he cares - actually, I know he does - but he has to realize he cares sooner or later."

The girl nodded. "Maybe but-" She yawned, making Gohan sleepy too. "It must have been hard."

"Yeah." Gohan smiled softly, and Kat finally relaxed completely, uncurling herself. It was at this point Gohan noticed his friend had the teddy bear in her arms, and he couldn't help but beam and yet feel slightly embarrassed. "But that's what makes it all the more special, right?"

"Yeah," Kat agreed quietly, her eyes closing. "You're...right..." Soon her soft breathing indicated she was asleep, and Gohan soon followed her. His original plan had been to go home once he eased her troubles, but he found himself too content to move, so the only thing he did was pull the covers over them before closing his eyes.

An hour later, Vegeta woke up with a sudden urge for water. He silently slipped out of bed, and before he reached the stairs, Kat entered his mind. Sighing, he walked back and opened the door, surprised to see her fast asleep with Gohan there with her. He sighed again. "I gave you more than I hoped to give," he whispered. "Feel lucky for that." He silently closed the door.

" _Happy Birthday to you_."

* * *

**A/N: Side note, zeni is equivalent to yen, and in the current exchange rate, 50 U.S dollars is equivalent to around 5,000 yen. So Natane gave Kat $50, if anyone was wondering.**


	11. An Unlikely Pet

" **TRICK-OR-TREAT!** "

Kat shook her head as she chuckled while Bulma gave candy to the young children. It was only 4:30 in the afternoon, but little kids never got to go out later at night, even though this year's Halloween was on a Friday. "Sucks to be them," Yuki snickered. He was dressed up as a demonic butcher, with blue paint on his face and black around his eyes. He wore fake crooked teeth drenched in blood that continued down his neck and onto the apron. Then there was a bloody butcher's knife coming out of his head, with the handle on one side and most of the blade on the other.

Mitsumi rolled her eyes. "We had to go through the same thing they are," she pointed out. "Stop being a jerk."

"Aw, is my elven princess upset?" the butcher cooed tauntingly.

"Elven _sorceress_!" she corrected. She wore a white dress with a magic book in hand, fake elf ears with sky blue cross earring, a golden headband, and her glasses. "And I'm not _yours_ , by the way." Yuki snickered again.

"Honestly I don't care what time we go," Gohan brought up. He was a vampire, plain and simple, but he didn't care. "I've never been Trick-or-Treating before. This is really exciting!" Thanks to all of the powerful threats, the eleven-year-old boy had never celebrated Halloween, and he didn't have anyone his age to go with the year prior. Kat and her friends decided to invite him along so he could finally celebrate.

"I promise you'll have fun," Kat stated. She was a witch. She wore a black witch's hat, a brown shirt where the sleeves went to her elbows, brown gloves, a rust colored ragged skirt that went to her shins, and laced black boots. She had a twisted walking stick, and around her neck she wore the Royal Saiyan Family Crest. There hadn't been a day after her birthday she didn't wear it. The only times she took it off were when she showered and when she slept.

Gohan nodded, quickly fixing his cape. "It's too bad we have to wait for Krillin," Yuki complained. "I mean, you and Gohan could take anyone, Kat."

"Oh sure, let's tell your parents that Gohan and I are super human," Kat retorted, rolling her eyes. "Besides, what's wrong with Krillin coming along?"

"Guess you have a point," Yuki agreed.

"By the way," Gohan suddenly piped up, "don't witches usually have black cats or toads or something? Where's yours, Kat?"

The witch blinked. "Uh...I never even thought about that," she admitted. She quickly thought about it before coming up with an idea. "Let me go find Dr. Brief. Maybe he'll let me take Scratch with us."

"That would be cool!" Gohan exclaimed. "A real live black cat!"

"Just hurry," Mitsumi advised. "Krillin might be here soon." Her friend nodded and began her search for the old scientist.

They had decided to meet up at Capsule Corp. because it was an easy meeting place for everyone, not to mention it was near all of the good houses. Since Bulma was handing out candy and Vegeta refused to be a chaperone again, Krillin agreed to help. Usually Mitsumi or Yuki's parents would do that, but they were busy this year, and Kat and her mother talked even less than they already did thanks to the birthday incident. Not that she would have chaperoned them anyway but still. Kat roamed around the mansion, trying to find the good doctor, and ended up running into him on the second floor. "Oh, hello Dr. Brief," Kat greeted.

"You four haven't gone yet?" he asked.

"No, Krillin hasn't gotten here yet," she reported. "I was wondering if I could bring Scratch along with me. It would help out my costume."

"Sure, why not," Dr. Brief replied. "But it's the darnedest thing; I can't find him anywhere, and I've been looking for an hour."

She thought about where the little black cat could have wandered off to. "Maybe he's in the greenhouse," the little witch suggested.

"That is quite possible," Dr. Brief stated. "How about we go there and check? One person shouldn't look all alone."

Kat smiled. "Right."

So they ended up back on the first floor and inside the giant indoor garden. The two searched the grounds in hope of finding the black cat, and while they searched Kat came across the pond. There were many frogs there, and one stuck out to her. It had a teal body and black spots that covered it. The frog also had red eyes and two antennas, and the sight of the strange-looking frog made Kat walk towards it. She knelt down, and the teal frog looked up at her, seemingly curious.

"Hey there, little guy," she said softly. "I've never seen a frog like you before." The frog beamed, almost as if it were a proud human. Kat giggled. "Wow, I don't think I've ever met a frog who can understand humans, let alone make poses like one." It continued to make various poses, which got the girl laughing.

"Ah, there you are," Dr. Brief noted as he walked up from behind. Kat stopped laughing and turned her head to look at him, noticing Scratch on his shoulder. "I found Scratch. You still want to take him, or would you like to stay with the frog?"

She looked back at the strange frog as she tried to make a decision. Then she decided to ask it; it could understand her, and besides, Scratch was the doctor's pet. If she lost him in the city, that could spell trouble. "Do you want to go Trick-or-Treating with me?" The frog tilted its head in confusion, and Kat smiled. It at least seemed interested. "That's when we go out dressed up in costume. I'm a witch, and usually witches have pets like cats or toads...well, frog in this case. You'd make a great addition, and I bet with you I'd get a lot more candy." At the mention of candy the frog suddenly seemed very excited and it almost looked like it was drooling. Kat laughed again. _Such a strange creature,_ she thought. "You like candy?" The amphibian nodded vigorously. "Tell you what: if you come along, I'll give you a few pieces. What do you say?" Immediately it jumped on her shoulder, and with that Kat stood up and turned to face Dr. Briefs. "Guess I'm taking the frog," she decided.

"Alrighty then. Have fun." With a wave, the old man walked off with his cat.

Kat looked at her new companion and smiled. "Well, guess we're heading out," she told it. The frog nodded, and Kat went back to the lobby, noting how Krillin had finally shown up. He was wearing a white suit with a white hat; maybe he was a fancy gentleman or a gangster. "Hey guys! Sorry I took so long!" The four looked at her.

"So you decided to go with a frog?" Mitsumi asked.

"Uh huh. It looks kind of weird so that'll help it seem like a witch's pet, and apparently it really likes candy." The frog smiled and nodded.

Krillin and Gohan moved closer to study it. "Yeah, I've gotta agree on the weird part," the bald man proclaimed. "I've never seen a frog like this on Earth."

"It does look kind of familiar though," Gohan mused. The frog, which had been trembling very slightly, finally jumped to Kat's other shoulder and looked very frightened.

"Gohan, Krillin, stop looking at it like that!" Kat scolded. "You're scaring it!"

They jumped back and held their hands up. "Sorry!" they apologized.

The witch nodded and then looked at the scared creature. "Don't worry, little guy, they won't hurt you," she assured it. "They're very friendly." The frog nodded slowly but didn't stop shaking. She gave the two fighters a very stern gaze. "Don't go scaring it again, understand?"

"Yes ma'am!"

So after the five planned their route, they left to go into the city and get their sugar. They left slightly early to get as much as they could but late enough to where the sun was almost gone and gave that spooky Halloween vibe. Within an hour their sacks were full of the big candy bars. There were some little candies as well, and some of them Kat didn't like, but the frog was practically drooling at the sight. Throughout the night Kat would give the frog some of the candy to nibble on, and it seemed very happy. Occasionally Krillin and Gohan would look at the frog, trying to figure out why it felt so familiar, but they never stared at it long and they never closed in on it like they had at Capsule Corp. Overall the night went without incident, and they returned to the dome building happily exhausted. They had enough energy to trade candy, though, and as they began to swap, Vegeta walked in.

"So you humans dress up in ridiculous outfits for one night just to get all of this junk?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Yuki replied. "It's just one day."

Vegeta eyed the five huge piles and was about to comment on how that would last way longer than one day before he noticed Kat's frog. "Why do you have a frog?" he asked.

"A witch needs a pet," she answered.

He studied it. "It seems familiar..." Under his continuous gaze, the frog began to shake and growl, and when it did, Vegeta's eyes widened. "You idiot, that's Ginyu!"

"Ginyu?" Kat repeated.

Suddenly Krillin and Gohan cried out. "He's right!" the half-breed exclaimed.

"That's the Namekian frog Ginyu got trapped in!" Krillin remembered.

"Wait, he can transfer bodies?!" Mitsumi squeaked.

Kat remembered the story Gohan had told her, and she looked at the frog, who was now on the defensive. "I don't see why all of you are getting this freaked out," she sighed.

" _WHAT?!_ "

"Ugh, guys, he hasn't _done_ anything," Kat pointed out. "Gohan told me he could only transfer bodies when he yelled out 'Change now'." She picked Ginyu up and held him out. "Does he look like he can talk like this? No, I don't think so. So stop acting like a bunch of worrywarts." Ginyu looked very pleased.

Most of them calmed down, seeing as she was right, but Vegeta still scoffed and glared. "What, you're siding with him now?" he accused.

"If we're talking about this point in time, then yes," Kat retorted. "Vegeta, you are being extremely rude right now."

"If you're expecting me to apologize-"

"I never said I was," Kat interrupted sternly. "I'm expecting that you be polite." Ginyu snickered, and now Kat glared, but it was softer than Vegeta's. "That goes for you too, mister. Two wrongs don't make a right." The frog stopped and lowered his head. Satisfied, Kat set Ginyu down so she could put away her stash. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I should go home." She flung the sack over her shoulder and then picked Ginyu up again. "And I think I'll take Ginyu with me."

"Have you lost your mind?!" Vegeta barked.

"Well if he stayed here, there's no doubt in my mind you would kill him." Vegeta mumbled something about how that would be a good idea, and Kat placed Ginyu on her shoulder so she could fire a small ki blast at the grumpy Saiyan. He snarled but then huffed and crossed his arms. Kat rolled her eyes and left without another word. She took to the skies but made sure she flew slowly so Ginyu didn't fly off. "I'm surprised you can keep a grip without thumbs," she noted. He shrugged.

It didn't take her long to get home, and she landed onto her balcony. She slid the door open and walked inside, tossing the sack onto the floor and sighing in relief at the loss of weight. "Finally," she huffed as she rotated her shoulder. Ginyu gave her a questioning look. "Hmm? You think I thought it was too heavy?" Kat guessed. He nodded. "No, not heavy, just bothersome." Then she gently picked the frog up and set him on the floor. "Make yourself comfortable. I know it's nowhere near as big as the pond, but right now you're safer here. Anyway, I'll be out soon. And if you dare steal a Kit-Kat bar or any pieces of Candy Corn, I will not hesitate to bring you back to Prince Moody." Ginyu snickered at the nickname but could tell she was serious so he didn't dare. Besides, he didn't like Candy Corn. He had no idea why the little witch even liked that stuff.

Rules in place, Kat grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom. She closed the door and began to get ready for bed. She sighed. _I can't believe that frog is actually Ginyu,_ she thought. _Now that I know that, I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner. Gohan told me about what happened on Namek; I should have figured._ Kat then thought about the accusation Vegeta gave. If the alien had been in his original body and was terrorizing the planet, there was no doubt in her mind she would fight against him. _But now he can't,_ she reasoned. _Still, they are kind of right. He's most likely still evil judging from his snickering but..._ She sighed again. _Right now just stick to your guns. If you cave in, Vegeta won't let you hear the end of it._ With that decision she finished getting ready and went back into her room to find Ginyu laying belly up on her bed. She raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?" she stated. He looked at her but clearly had no intention of moving. Kat rolled her eyes but decided to not do anything about it. After all, it had probably been a long time since he had been in a bed; she could be merciful just this once. She slipped into bed, letting Ginyu having the side he had dictated as his own.

Strangely her room was quieter than usual. A thought came to mind. It was completely crazy, but she couldn't help but think, _It would be kind of nice if he could talk._ A surprised croak made her eyes widen. _Crap, I said that out loud!_ Kat actually thought. Suddenly she felt the need to explain her thoughts. "I'm unfortunately morbidly curious. But I know Bulma and Vegeta would have fit if I even so much _looked_ like I was thinking about it. And there's also this nagging suspicion you'll try to change bodies as soon as you can speak." She finally looked at the frog, who had since flipped back over and was now eyeing her curiously and calculating. She smiled. "I heard the incident with Bulma; I'm not about to have the same thing happen to me or anyone else." Ginyu smirked, as if he admired her cautious yet joking nature.

"Still," Kat continued, "I want to know about space. I'm sure your stories are nothing but cruel," Ginyu huffed but couldn't exactly argue, "and yet I can't help but just want to know. That's what sucks about Earth; we're just...here. We think we're so superior in strength and intelligence, and then all of you guys show up and completely show us up. I want to know about as much as I can." She sighed, and finally she felt tired. She closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep.

...

Ginyu watched as the small girl went to sleep. Such an interesting creature. To admit such things was unheard of by his ears, with the strangest being that she had basically insulted the people of her planet and yet somehow managed to have no shame and keep her pride. Her caution was something of note as well. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be an enemy if under any other circumstance. Stranger still that she had been able to get away with speaking the way she did to the Saiyan Prince.

The Saiyan Prince and the Earthling girl: _that_ was the strangest of all.

It was the way Vegeta had sounded. He was angry, defensive, and completely bitter, but he also seemed...protective. Ginyu was sure that - if this had been many years ago and somehow the man felt the way he did now - Lord Frieza would have no doubt used the girl as a way to get the monkey to do as his Lord pleased. Perhaps he and his crew would have done the same.

But now she was far too intriguing. Perhaps because, unlike the blue haired female, the girl never once talked about herself. And she had gone so far as to defend him as well despite knowing a little bit about him, which was clearly enough to know what evils he was capable of.

Of course the idea of getting a new body (one that hopefully had some damn _thumbs_!) was something that had crossed his mind when the girl had accidentally spoken aloud. Yet strangely the idea of inquiring about her was something he had in mind as well. He wouldn't divulge much, just as he knew Vegeta hadn't, but maybe he would humor her idea. It of course would not be easy for her, but if she tolerated Vegeta then she could learn to tolerate him. Perhaps he could find a way to tolerate her if the Saiyan Prince could.

Only problem: how could she possibly hope to have him talk when he had personally destroyed his only means to do so?

...

 _Okay, I'm sick of this!_ Kat shouted. It had been three days and she still didn't have a good convincing argument that she could present to Bulma or Vegeta ( _especially_ Vegeta) to allow her to have some sort of gadget that allowed Ginyu to talk. She still hadn't deemed it safe for Ginyu to return to the pond, which meant he was just in her room, and her curiosity taunted her. As she changed out of her training outfit and into her street clothes, she sighed heavily in frustration. _What am I going to do? Everything I think of sounds like a terrible idea, and who knows if Bulma even made something like that again._ Kat walked down to the second floor, making her way to the first, and she noticed Dr. Brief was inside Bulma's office seemingly searching for something. "Oh, hello Doctor," she greeted. He looked at her. "What are you looking for?"

"A little gadget," the old man replied. "Bulma had been working on it but now she wants to scrap it, and since she's out with Panchy and Trunks, she had me try and find it."

"I can help," Kat offered as she walked into the office. Mr. Brief smiled and gladly accepted the extra eyes and hands. "What are we looking for?"

"Bulma said it looks like a little collar," Dr. Brief explained. "A Universal Translator, she called it. Apparently it's supposed to translate what animals say." A light bulb went off in Kat's head. "Sad that she wants to scrap it; maybe I could have had a conversation with Scratch. Wouldn't that be interesting?"

Kat barely contained a squeal. "It would," she agreed. She began to search the office. "Actually, would it be okay if I take it?"

"Sure," the scientist answered. "I don't see why not." _Score!_ Kat cheered as she grinned.

It didn't take them long to find the collar-looking gadget, and Kat prayed that it worked. She dropped it into her backpack and waved Dr. Brief goodbye. Then she finally made her way to the first floor so she could go home. "What held you up?" Vegeta suddenly asked. Kat hadn't even noticed him sitting on the couch with a book.

She smiled. "Just helped Dr. Brief with something," she stated. It wasn't a lie; she was just withholding facts.

Vegeta was studying her as if she _was_ lying. "How has _he_ been doing?" he inquired, obvious disdain in his voice.

"I'm here, right?" Kat pointed out. "Seriously, Vegeta, he's a frog now. He can't do anything."

"Tch. Fine," he grunted. "But if he does _anything_ , I want to know _immediately_."

"He won't do anything," she huffed. "Stop being paranoid for a _day_ , okay?" Vegeta rolled his eyes, and Kat copied. Then she left, not wanting to engage in conversation with him anymore. It didn't take her long to fly home, and when she landed on her balcony she admittedly had butterflies in her stomach. She slid open the door and saw her...pet (she still didn't know if that was what she should call him) hanging out on her desk. He raised his head, and Kat smiled as she closed the door. Then she dug through her backpack and showed him the Universal Translator. "Got it!" Ginyu's eyes lit up. "Now hold on. I'm not 100% sure this works, and if it does, do I have your word that you won't change bodies?" He nodded. "Really?" He nodded again. "Alright." Cautiously, she put on the Universal Translator around his throat and then jumped back. "Does it work?" Kat questioned tentatively.

At first, Ginyu didn't say anything, so the room got awkwardly quiet. Then he smirked. "Change-" Kat immediately began to charge a small ki blast, and at it the frog laughed. "Relax Squirt, I made a promise. I was just testing your reflexes."

The girl narrowed her eyes and huffed. "Seriously, was it a part of everyone's job description to be jackasses?" she growled. _Squirt? Really? I am not **that** short._

"It's not in the job description, but everyone in the Planet Trade Organization just tended to be," Ginyu replied.

"Wonderful." She sat down in her desk chair and brought out her Algebra I book. "So, what's the Planet Trade Organization?" she asked as she brought out a piece of paper that had her math homework.

"Vegeta keeps quiet, huh?"

"He doesn't like to talk about it." She pretended to tap her pencil in thought. "I wonder why."

Ginyu snickered and Kat rolled her eyes. "The PTO is - er, might be was at this point - the army Vegeta and I worked for," he explained. "We took over suitable planets so they could be sold to the highest bidders."

"Such a lovely tidbit Vegeta forgot to mention," Kat muttered. Ginyu snickered again as she crunched some numbers. "Then again, what else would they do with the planets they conquered."

"Smart deduction." She puffed out some air and fell silent as she finished a problem. "It's wrong."

Her head shot up. "What?"

"The answer. It's wrong," he clarified. "It should be 5, not -5. You accidentally switched the positive when you were flipping it from the opposite side of the greater than sign."

Kat almost fell out of her chair. "How do you know Earth math?" she inquired, feeling spooked.

"Math is universal, Squirt," Ginyu replied. "Besides, I read through your notes. I get bored."

Of course math was universal; that was a theory they studied in class. Kat scolded herself for asking such a stupid question before switching to another topic. "You read through my stuff?" she growled.

"Just your notes."

"Did you ever think I might put in other things _besides_ notes?"

"Then that would be your fault for not paying attention. Something like that would get you killed in the PTO." Kat groaned. "Give me a book, then."

All of them were so demanding, too. Never even said please. "Fine, whatever, I will," she agreed with a huff. "But if you don't like what I pick too bad." Ginyu chuckled, and the room grew quiet as Kat continued on with her homework. "Thank you, by the way."

"Hmm?"

"For helping me with my homework," Kat told him. "I always have trouble with those types of problems. So thank you." The frog stared at her and then he nodded, and Kat went back to work. Again the room fell silent, for several minutes this time, giving Kat the ability to concentrate. Finally she finished, letting out a sigh of relief and putting away her work. Then she looked at Ginyu, who had closed his eyes as he rested. She smiled softly; even if he was an ass, it was nice that he kept his promise and even helped her out. Suddenly she heard the front door close and felt her mother's weak ki approach her room. Kat shouldn't have been surprised but was anyway; her mom had been coming home early lately, and she didn't understand why. Kat looked at Ginyu and realized she had to hide him. Her mom didn't like the idea of Kay having a pet, especially any type of amphibian, so as gently as she could she picked up the frog and hid him under the bed. Kat stood up just as the door opened. "Oh, Mom, you're home," she noted, trying not to sound bitter. The last time they actually had a "decent" conversation was before her birthday.

"Hn." Kagari looked at Kat's desk. "How come you aren't doing your homework?"

"I just finished," Kat reported.

"Show me," her mom demanded, clearly not believing her.

Kat narrowed her eyes. "I'm not lying."

"Then show me."

 _Argh, why me?_ "Fine, whatever," she huffed. She opened her binder and took out the paper with her homework on it. "Here, look, all done." She watched as her mom scanned the paper, and she sighed internally. _Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?_

...

Ginyu opened his eyes. He hadn't actually been asleep, but closing his eyes felt nice. He knew he had been moved from the desk, though he was surprised to find he was under the bed rather than on top. Then he heard arguing.

And it was getting annoying fast.

"For the last time, it's not wrong!" Kat yelled, clearly furious. He poked his head out slightly to find her face tomato red and fire raging in her eyes. Then Ginyu noticed the taller woman, who he could only assume was this mother character he heard - well, more like endured some complaining - about once or twice.

"And I told you it is!" the black haired woman retorted.

"The back of the book has all of the right answers, and it agrees with me not you!" the small girl snapped. "Not to mention someone smarter than me and _infinitely_ smarter than you was the one who corrected me in the first place!" Hold on, were they arguing over that one problem?

"Are you insulting me?" the woman hissed.

"Was I not obvious enough?" her daughter spat. "How about I go to your workplace and say it right in front of all of your coworkers? Let's go and tell them how you can't figure out a simple Algebra I problem! While we're at it, let's tell them how much of a horrible person you are and how no one loves you! Maybe that's why _your_ dad left!"

The woman tried to slap Kat, but the girl easily dodged it. "My father died while off at war, you little brat!" she countered.

"Oh, is that what they told you so that you wouldn't feel bad for chasing him off? I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case, considering chasing people off is a talent you excel at greatly."

"I should kick you onto the street!"

"I should report you!"

"You will do no such thing! In fact, for a whole week, you won't be doing _anything_! You are _grounded_!"

"For what, telling you the truth? Does it hurt? I hope it does."

Her mother narrowed her eyes. "Don't leave this room," she ordered.

"Anything to not see your ugly face," Kat growled.

"Do you want to move it to two weeks?" the woman challenged.

"When did you suddenly want to be an actual parent?"

"Two weeks it is."

"Like you're going to pay any attention. Now get out of my room."

There was a growl from the mother. "Dinner will be in half an hour," she informed. "I expect that homework to be done _right_ when I come back in here."

Kat looked like she was about to explode. "It is done right!" she argued. "Now get out of my room!" Her mother scoffed but obeyed, slamming the door as she left. Kat waited about three seconds before she jumped onto her bed and there was a muffed scream of frustration. Ginyu hopped out and found a way up onto the bed, finding Kat lying face down. He made his way to the side of her head, and there was silence for a while.

"You kind of deserved that," Ginyu finally said.

"The grounding or the insults?" Kat asked, her face still stuffed in her pillow.

"The former."

She sighed. "I know," she agreed with shame. "Two wrongs don't make a right." Ginyu chuckled, and then Kat picked herself up. "Guess I should call Bulma," she muttered, more to herself, and made sure her mother wasn't close by before she called the other woman to tell her the news.

With the punishment in place, that meant Kat was home earlier than usual. That didn't bother Ginyu much, since he didn't have much to do when she wasn't there. In a way he missed the pond, but he knew that damn monkey was waiting to kill him the second Kat left him behind. And besides, Kat wasn't that bad. She asked questions only when he felt up to it, and if he didn't want to answer she didn't push it. In turn he did the same...somewhat. Certain mannerisms gave her away more than she realized. For example, she was clearly a girl who had tons of energy and liked to burn it; the way her body twitched during the two weeks made it all too obvious she was bored. He learned she had a love of dancing, and she was quite good, but that didn't help much with excess energy since she didn't have that much space. Ginyu inwardly smirked. If she had the right mindset, she would have been one of those soldiers who went on any mission they were assigned because they wanted to - aka, a good soldier.

But she was also one willing to learn. Whether it was as simple as a mistake on her assignment and listening to how it was actually done or one of Ginyu's small tales, she always showed that she was giving her complete and undivided attention. She was easy to tease, but snarky in her own right. That last point, the frog noted, would have been toned down, but other than that she might have been one of Lord Frieza's favorites...maybe.

When the girl was at school, the ex-soldier spent his time reading her books that she offered up. Some were good, some were okay, and _Chako the Space Policeman_ pissed him off because he _knew_ it was about the Galactic Patrol. Nosy good-for-nothing goody two shoes. Plus it sucked. He even bluntly told it to the girl when she came home one day. "Bless Gran Gran's heart," she sighed. "She thought it would be good and gave it as a present for Christmas one year. I don't have the heart to give it away.

Soon, he figured out why.

While her mother didn't know about Ginyu's presence, her grandmother did, and she treated him well. Throughout the day she would bring him food and make sure he was comfortable. Kat didn't spoil him because she refused to feed his ego, but the old woman did despite the girl telling her not to. And her granddaughter was none the wiser. Ginyu chuckled every time the gray haired woman smiled innocently, as if she wasn't doing anything wrong, but she knew she was.

The person he didn't like was...well, he figured it was no surprise. Everyone seemed to dislike her.

He agreed Kat deserved the punishment. Hell, on Lord Frieza's ship her punishment for that kind of tongue would have been _much_ worse. In fact, with the almost everyday arguments between the two, he knew he had heard his Lord say things that made the woman's belittling sound like compliments. But perhaps it was the way she said them. Perhaps he had to admit he found himself slightly attached to the young girl. Perhaps it was that the woman's - no, the _harpy's_ \- voice was so damn annoying and always loud, and he always had to stop whatever he was doing to hide.

But he didn't like the black haired woman. Not one bit.

Things didn't let up after the two weeks were over. Arguably they got worse. Kat tried, she really did, to not complain and screech in his presence. Honestly, Ginyu was touched. But that didn't stop the arguments from grating on his nerves.

So four days after the two weeks, he executed his plan.

Ginyu waited until he knew Kat was completely asleep. He didn't have to wait that long; apparently Vegeta had been working her double time, which she didn't mind, but it left her undeniably exhausted. She had been neglecting doing the simplest of tasks because she was so tired. Closing the door all the way was one of them. Silently he hopped off her bed and made his way out of her room.

He knew he was breaking a promise, but with a smirk, he told himself the ends would justify the means.

...

A sudden, drastic shift in kis snapped Kat out of sleep, and strangely it was coming from her mom's room. She looked around to make sure she wouldn't accidentally wake Ginyu when she got out of bed...and realized he wasn't anywhere in her room. _Oh no, please don't tell me..._ She looked at her door and realized it was open. "Holy crap," she whispered, her eyes wide. Kat flung herself out of bed and dashed for her mother's room. She slammed the door open to find the woman awake with the Namekian frog in her hands...but she knew things weren't as they should be. "What the hell did you do?!" she cried.

Kagari stared at her, and then her body pulled a look she never had before: an evil smirk. "I fixed a problem," Ginyu reported, showing the unconscious frog.

"Swap back!" Kat demanded.

"Why? It's clear you don't like her," the alien stated calmly.

"Well yeah, but she's still my mom!" she argued. "For all we know she could change. And you promised you wouldn't swap bodies! Swap back!"

He pretended to ponder; Kat hated that act, no matter whom it came from. But she noticed as he "pondered" he was squeezing the frog, trying to suffocate Kagari. Panicking, Kat snatched her mom out of Ginyu's hand. The ex-soldier seemed surprised, and before either of them could do or say anything there was a loud knocking at the door. Actually it was more like a pounding. "Kat, open the damn door!" Vegeta roared. Kat realized he too must have felt the switch in kis. And she knew he was probably going to yell at her - maybe even say something along the lines of "I told you so" - but right now she wanted to get away from her mom's body. She dashed downstairs and opened up the door, finding a very angry Saiyan Prince on the other side. Kat looked at him with fearful eyes.

"Vegeta, please make him switch back!" she begged, showing him the knocked out frog. Vegeta was fuming, and he stormed passed her, ready to tell Ginyu off. But neither of them expected what happened next.

"Change _NOW_!" In a sudden yellow light, Ginyu switched bodies once more, now in Vegeta's, and he turned his head to look at the small girl. "Fight me," he requested. "If you win, I'll turn everything back to normal." Then Ginyu smirked, and even though that was basically Vegeta's default expression, it looked very strange. "But I don't mind if you lose. I have thumbs again." With that, he ran passed her and took off into the sky.

Kat stared at the space he had been in, stupefied. Vegeta, meanwhile, was even more furious. "What are you doing just standing there?!" he barked from the second floor. "Go after him!"

For a while, she didn't move. Then her shoulders and face dropped, and she gently floated up to her mom's room to put the frog on the bed. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll fix everything," she promised quietly, her voice full of regret. She walked out of the room and stopped right next to her mom's body. "Vegeta, I'm sorry."

Vegeta scoffed. "This is why you listen to me," he grumbled. Kat's shoulders slumped even worse. Then he put a hand on her head. "Alright, pick yourself up and go get him."

"Do you want me to fly you there?" Kat asked in a small voice.

"As much as I would love to see you kick his ass, I realize that unfortunately I'll be a hindrance," he admitted.

"But what if I can't do it?" she brought up. "He has so much more experience than me."

"Don't think that way," Vegeta told her. "I'm much stronger than when we fought on Namek, and you've been training with me. You have the power to win."

She nodded and quickly went into her room to get into her training outfit. "Alright," she breathed out as she stepped out, "wish me luck." She jumped to the first floor, ran outside, and flew off towards Ginyu's ki.

It didn't take her long, and she found herself on the outskirts of West City - the wastelands, to be exact. Ginyu was standing on a plateau, and she landed about 10 feet from him. "Glad you decided to show up," he greeted.

The girl stared at him, feeling angry, betrayed, and immensely hurt. "Before we start, I want to know why," she requested.

"Because I was tired of her screaming," Ginyu replied. "I was tired of seeing you growling and seething. And besides, it's been four years since I've had a good fight, so I figured, 'Why not?'." He smirked. "To be fair, I didn't think of that when I initially switched, but it was perfect timing."

"You betrayed me," Kat grunted.

"True, but I will keep my promise," he vowed. "So, are you ready?"

Kat took a deep breath. This would be her first real battle, and major things were on the line here. She dropped into a stance. "Yes." He smirked and motioned her to make the first move, but Kat knew better than to just jump right at him. She had to plan first.

From his stance, it was clear he had no opening. Her first course of action, she decided, would be to make an opening. With a plan in mind she charged at Ginyu. He smirked wider, but it changed to a look of confusion when she zipped to the left and essentially disappeared. Since the alien couldn't sense energy, that gave Kat the advantage. His right side became vulnerable, and she delivered a very powerful kick to it. He was sent flying, and Kat immediately sprang after him. The girl gave him an uppercut to the chin, and he was up in the air. Once again Kat followed him, but Ginyu recovered quicker than she anticipated, surprising her. With a grin he charged and fired a purple ki blast at her. It was so fast Kat barely dodged, and when she dodged her guard dropped. Ginyu then hit Kat in the back before slamming her to the ground. The stone cracked under the impact, and Kat groaned.

"What's the matter, Squirt?" Ginyu taunted from the air. "Can't keep up? Just because you dodged one attack doesn't mean I won't immediately follow up with another." Kat growled and shot up after him again. She began to rapidly punch at him, and he dodged every throw. Then she kneed him in the stomach, which did connect, and Kat followed up with a right hook to his cheek. He plummeted towards the ground, and once more she followed him. Ginyu recovered but was still falling, so while he slowed himself down he also fired ki blasts at the girl. Kat almost dodged all of them. The last one hit her, though, and sent her higher into the air. Ginyu did a backflip, his feet hitting the ground for a second before launching himself after her. Now he was the one throwing a series of rapid-fire punches, but they connected with their target this time. Fortunately, there was a momentary lull, and Kat used that to grab one of his fists, pull him towards her, and punch him square in the face. The alien flew back a bit and grunted in pain as he brought his hands to his face. Meanwhile Kat was panting heavily as she struggled for breath and her body ached all over. Ginyu moved his hands away from his face and smirked at the sight. "I'll give Vegeta this: he's made you persistent and durable," he complimented. "But it's pretty obvious you're both still weak."

A sudden surge of anger coursed through Kat's body. She clenched her teeth and fists. Vegeta was definitely _not_ weak, and Kat refused to be taken so lightly. With a roar and power that seemed to come out of nowhere, she charged at Vegeta's body and slammed into it, putting as much force as she could into her attack. Shocked, Ginyu found himself unable to retaliate as Kat grabbed his foot, spun him around, and tossed him onto the plateau, creating yet another crater. As he slowly recovered, Kat charged a ki attack. She had no idea if she would be able to pull it off; hell, she had only seen it once, so her form was probably wrong and who knew if she had the power to perform the attack.

But she had to try.

"GALICK GUN, FIRE!"

Needless to say, Ginyu was surprised when the purple energy beam came racing towards him. It wasn't as powerful as the prince's, but the girl had managed to put some serious power behind it. He quickly braced himself for impact, and the attack hit just as he did. Ginyu struggled against it for a bit, and then there was an explosion. Smoke and dust covered the area; Kat watched as it began to clear while she breathed even heavier than before. When everything finally cleared, Ginyu was still standing with only a few scratches here and there. Kat hissed at how little she had done...and then she noticed the smile of satisfaction. "Guess I take it back, Squirt," he commented.

Kat stared, still panting, but then she gave off a small grin, and right as she was about to reply, she fell into satisfied yet exhausted unconsciousness.

...

This was not Vegeta's ideal way of spending the night. He was tired of being in Kagari's body, and he really just wanted to go to bed. Then he heard the doorknob turn, and he looked to see his body - a little ruffled up - with an unconscious Kat in its arms. Before he pounced, Vegeta noticed the smile on her face and her chest rising and falling. The prince relaxed, but before he could say anything Ginyu changed their bodies again. Now back in his original body, Vegeta felt the number Kat had done on the body snatcher, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Obviously it had been almost too much for Ginyu, who had been slumping a bit, and that made Vegeta smirk internally. "She's a fighter," Ginyu suddenly noted. Vegeta looked at the alien's smirk before he retreated upstairs to make everything right.

The man watched Ginyu go, and then he finally got a chance to get a good look at his student. Her body had a few scratches, and there would definitely be bruises and swelling. Nothing the little Namekian couldn't handle in the morning. He huffed good naturally and transferred some of his ki into her. Kat slowly opened her eyes, and she yawned. "Good morning," she greeted sleepily.

"It's 11:32 at night," Vegeta replied.

"Midnight is considered morning," she countered before yawning again. "Guess what, I did it."

He smirked. "Doesn't look like you did that much," he observed, showing off his unscathed left arm.

"No, no, I mean I did _it_." She smiled bigger and her tired lapis lazuli eyes twinkled. "I fired a Galick Gun."

Vegeta was surprised. "I only showed you once," he remembered. "The day after your birthday."

Kat nodded. "I didn't think I could do it, but I was getting desperate, so I tried it," she explained. A chuckle escaped him, and then she yawned a third time. "Vegeta, can we go easy tomorrow?"

Even though he rolled his eyes, he decided to agree. "Sure, princess." She looked confused at the random nickname, but ended up giggling softly. "And see to it that you tame that pet of yours."

"He's not...a pet," Kat argued as she yawned and began slipping into sleep. "He's a...com...rade..." With that, she fell asleep.

Again Vegeta was surprised, and then he shook his head as he chuckled. Earthlings were still very strange creatures. He floated up to the second floor just in time to see Ginyu the Frog hop into Kat's room. "Even as a frog you're a pain in my ass," Vegeta huffed as he walked in. The frog made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a scoff. "How did you cause so much trouble when you can't talk?" Ginyu shrugged. Unbeknownst to the Saiyan, Ginyu had left the Universal Translator deep under Kagari's bed; he would get it later. Vegeta rolled his eyes at the frog's shrugging, and laid Kat down on her bed and then pulled the covers over her. "Now don't cause any more trouble or I _will_ kill you, even if you are Kat's pet."

Now Ginyu rolled his eyes, but as he curled up next to the sleeping small girl and Vegeta flew from the balcony, he smiled a little.

Ginyu: Kat's loyal, snarky pet frog.

For whatever reason, it didn't sound too bad.


	12. The Ghost of the Past I

Kat didn't know where she was. It was pitch black, and somewhere in the back of her mind she told herself she was sleeping...or was she? Wherever she was felt so real despite the darkness. Then from behind her, she began to hear footsteps. She whipped her head around, but she couldn't see anyone. Frightened, Kat began to back up before she run away from the noise. But since she was surrounded by the darkness, she couldn't tell if she was actually moving. And the faster she ran, the louder the unknown footsteps became. Suddenly a hand clasped around her shoulder, and Kat screamed. "No, let me go!" she cried as she struggled.

A gruff voice grunted. "Stop struggling!" he demanded.

"Let me go!" Kat screamed out again.

"I order you to stop at once!" At his roar, Kat began to cry.

"Dear, stop scaring the poor child," came a soothing voice. There was a hitch in Kat's breath as she slowly began to stop her crying, and she began to relax. "That's good, darling. We are not here to hurt you, we promise." The woman walked in front of Kat, and instantly the young girl's breath was taken away.

The mysterious woman was beautiful.

She had thick braided hair that went a little past her waist line, her black eyes held a soft and gentle gaze, her smile was heavenly, her skin was a smooth dark tan, and her lavender gown was one of exquisite beauty. Perhaps what startled Kat most about the beautiful woman was the Saiyan tail that gently waved back and forth behind her.

How could anyone so gentle and beautiful be a Saiyan?

"Wh-who...who are you?" Kat whispered.

"I am glad you asked," the strange Saiyan replied. "My name is Kyabe. The one behind you is my no-good husband."

"Very funny," he grunted, finally taking his hand off the girl's shoulder and taking his place at his wife's side. Kat's eyes widened, and the man scowled. "Something wrong?"

"You...y-you look like-"

"My son?" King Vegeta finished. "That's what I assume you were going to say?"

Something along that line, yes.

He was a strange Saiyan as well, in terms of his hair at least. Instead of the usual black, his flame shaped hair was brown, as was his beard. Unlike the queen, King Vegeta wore his Saiyan armor, which was white-and-red and had the Royal Family Crest on the left side. He wore a black jumpsuit, white gloves, a blue-and-red cape, and blue boots. His brown tail was wrapped firmly around his waist, though the tip twitched occasionally. While his wife had her gentle gaze, the male Saiyan had a harsh glare, and though Kat was terrified of it she refused to look away.

After all, she was in the presence of the Royal Family, and she did not want to be disrespectful.

Though it was kind of weird to think like that. She listened to Vegeta, sure, but she always got in at least one smartass comment before the day was through. Perhaps it was because he felt strangely human in ways. But these two weren't even close. The king was a cold warrior, and the queen almost seemed otherworldly. That thought brought another one forth. "Um...wh-where are we?" she questioned. "A-and, why are w-we here? What d-do you want-"

King Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Stop stuttering!" he commanded, cutting her off. "You are the student of a Saiyan warrior, act like it!"

"Sorry!" Kat exclaimed, extremely frightened.

"Dear, stop it!" Queen Kyabe scolded gently. Her husband huffed but softened his glare a tad. "We came into your dreams to warn you, darling."

"Warn?" the girl repeated. "Warn me of what? And why me? Wouldn't it be better to give this to Vegeta?"

"That's _Prince_ Vegeta!" the king snapped, completely towering over the small girl.

"Sorry!"

Suddenly Queen Kyabe backed handed King Vegeta right in the nose, and hard. He recoiled. "You see, _this_ is why you are in Hell," she huffed. Kat was surprised. Did that mean the queen wasn't in Hell? "Among other things." He growled but said nothing. "We were sent to the first person we could connect with. We too thought it would be our son, but clearly not."

"So you don't know why you're telling me?" Kat clarified.

"Correct," the brown haired man stated, much calmer than before. "We are getting our message out, so in the end, it really doesn't matter." Kat nodded. "That red ogre-"

"King Yemma," the queen corrected.

"Whatever. He sent us here to tell you that a spirit from Hell escaped." Kat stared at the almost six foot king. "Not-" He caught himself from shouting. "Not me."

"How did a spirit from Hell escape?" Kat inquired.

"Every 100 years, the spirits in Hell become extremely restless," Queen Kyabe explained. "When they do, it opens up a portal to the realm of the living. Usually King Yemma and his helpers are able to close it before the spirits run free."

"Unfortunately this time, the spirits were too many and too powerful," King Vegeta continued. "With almost an entire race of blood thirsty warriors, Frieza, and that creature Cell - not to mention countless others - there was quite a power increase from years prior."

Kat gulped. "A-and some escaped?"

"Just one," the black haired woman answered.

"W-w-which one?" _Please not Frieza or Cell!_

"Neither," King Vegeta said. The panic must have shown on her face for him to know whom she was talking about. "We would be much more grim if that were the case."

She sighed in relief. "Okay, so who?"

"A fellow Saiyan of ours," the queen revealed. "Nappa."

The only reason Kat didn't drop to the floor laughing was because she was still in the presence of the royals. "Forgive me for being rude, your majesties," she began, "but Nappa is weak compared to the most recent challenges. I may not be as strong as some of the other fighters, but I think even I could take him out easily."

"Perhaps that is true," Queen Kyabe replied. "But King Yemma could not shake the feeling of dread. No matter what you believe your abilities are, I strongly advise caution. For all of you."

"Alright," Kat agreed.

"He also said Nappa would most likely appear in two days," King Vegeta stated. "Spirits that are in Hell don't have bodies, save a special few who are subjected to special eternal misery. But if they escape, their bodies will come back. Once you destroy him, though, Nappa will cease to exist entirely."

That sent a chill down Kat's spine. They weren't just going to kill the man; they were going to send him to oblivion. "Okay, two days. Understood."

"Good. Don't screw up." With that, King Vegeta walked into the darkness and disappeared.

Queen Kyabe knelt down so she was eye level with the eleven-year-old girl and smiled. "I know you can do it," she encouraged.

She nodded. "You're different," she noted.

"Yes, as I was always told," the queen said. "Just remember this, darling: not all Saiyans are merciless killers, and we do have feelings. Pride is what tends to force those feelings down." She smiled bigger. "I am sure my son has demonstrated this quite well." Kat giggled. "Now remember to tell the others, and remember: two days." After Kat nodded again, the queen stood up and followed her husband, leaving Kat to slip back into sleep.

...

Kat sprang up, gasping. She took a few deep breaths and then sighed. "Nightmare, Squirt?" Ginyu croaked.

The girl looked over at her still-to-be-determined pet. "Eh, kind of," she admitted. "Warning is more accurate."

Ginyu chuckled darkly. "Oo, violence. What's coming to your precious mud ball?" Kat narrowed her eyes. "Hey, I'm just saying."

Realizing she wasn't going to go back to sleep any time soon and remembering Ginyu was really good at getting the info he wanted, Kat divulged the warning she had received from the two dead spirits. She glared at him again when he said something about hoping Frieza would come back, but other than that it went without incident. "So we have two days to prepare for his arrival," Kat finished.

"Right, but he shouldn't be hard," the frog stated. Kat was glad he agreed, but right before she laid back down, he continued. "But didn't you say two days from now is that day you Earthlings call Christmas?"

Her eyes went wide. "HE'S COMING ON CHRISTMAS?!" she cried.

"Jeez, Squirt, wanna wake him up early?" the ex-soldier asked.

"Sorry," she sighed. "But seriously, now all my Christmas shopping has gone to waste." She groaned as she flopped on her bed. "More importantly, he's extremely dangerous."

"That seems much more urgent."

She turned her head and glared. "Not everything needs your commentary," she grumbled. He just smirked.

First thing the next morning, Kat flew towards Capsule Corp. and noticed Gohan's energy flying towards the building as well. She raised an eyebrow but continued on her way; she could tell him at the same time as Vegeta. Kat landed in the front yard and waited for her friend. It didn't take long for him to show up, and she noticed the frown on his face. He tried to brighten up as he saw her. "Hey Kat," he greeted, trying to hide discomfort.

"What's up, Gohan?" she questioned.

"Well I...see there's..." He was trying to put his thoughts into words. "You know, it would be easier to explain inside. I called Krillin before I left the house to come here, and I flew over Tien training, so I told him to come as well. I figured Bulma would have a way to contact Yamcha, and I told Dende to tell Piccolo to come over as well."

"Wow, this must be really important," Kat said. Then she chuckled. "You think Vegeta will have a hissy fit that all of these people are coming into his house?"

Gohan laughed, finally looking like his cheery self. "Maybe," he agreed. "Come on, we should probably warn them." Kat nodded, and the two walked inside.

"Oh, Gohan, I wasn't expecting you this morning," Bulma stated as the two preteens entered the living room. "And of course, good morning, Kat."

"Good morning," they both replied.

"Hey Bulma," Gohan began, "everyone's coming over. Something really important came up. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but it was sudden notice."

Bulma seemed surprised at the boy's boldness, but then she smiled. "No problem, Gohan," she responded. "Don't worry about Vegeta; this was my house first."

The two laughed. "I'll fetch him when a few of them get here," Kat offered.

"Good, gives me a break," Bulma half joked. The two kids chuckled.

They waited for the other fighters, and in ten minutes Krillin showed up. Yamcha followed only a few minutes later, and he looked a little annoyed. He was grumbling something about a date, and Kat guessed that was what Bulma had been saying "wasn't as important". _Poor guy,_ she thought, _but Bulma's not wrong._

When Gohan noted that Tien and his friend Chiaotzu were getting close, Kat ran off to find Vegeta. He wasn't actually in the gravity room like she thought he would be; rather, he was in his bedroom. Although, it made her job easier, since he would be able to hear her knocking. Hopefully. "Hey Vegeta, we need you downstairs," Kat informed after she knocked. A few seconds later he opened the door.

"Is that why I've been sensing all of those humans coming here?" he clarified.

"Yeah. Gohan has something important to say, and from the look on his face it isn't good," she explained. "I have something important, too, so it works out."

"And I really have to be apart of it?" he questioned.

Kat huffed. " _Yes_. It's important," she insisted.

"Fine, I'll join," Vegeta decided. Happy he agreed without incident, Kat led him back to the first floor just as Tien and Chiaotzu entered. They both gave a questioning stare at the girl, wondering who she was. While Chiaotzu's gaze was of child-like curiosity (perhaps it helped that he looked like a doll, with his white body and red circles on his checks; a two or three feet doll, but still), Tien's was - or at least felt - judging. His third eye was the main factor to her feeling; it was narrowed, making it look stern, but then again it always looked like that in the old videos, so he probably wasn't judging her. Maybe the look - if it was actually there in the first place - was for the man behind her, who eventually nudged Kat's back. "Triclops asked you a question."

She looked back at him and blinked. Had she been so wrapped up in her thoughts she tuned out everything? As if Vegeta read her mind, he nodded. Sheepishly, she looked back at the new arrivals. "Um, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention," she apologized. "What did you ask?"

"I-I hope we didn't make you uncomfortable," Tien stuttered, showing his lack of people skills. He cleared his throat. "Uh, I just wanted to know who- no, your name."

"Kat," the black haired girl divulged as she approached the two. For whatever reason she thought about Chi-Chi's reaction to Vegeta teaching her, and she mentally gulped at the idea she had about their reaction. Though, maybe they would be as lax as Krillin, so Kat decided to risk it. "Vegeta's been training me."

Both of them were clearly surprised, and Chiaotzu recovered first. "You must be really strong," he commented with a friendly smile.

That was not the reaction she was expecting. "N-not really," Kat humbled, caught off guard.

"Someone who can keep up with him has to be strong," Tien pointed out, finally on a subject he was comfortable with. Kat was about to bring up Vegeta was extremely easy on her compared to what she heard he had pushed himself through before, but the bald man interrupted her. "Just his regimen is tough, from what I've heard."

Vegeta smirked, and then he looked at the door. "The Namekian's here," he sensed.

Gohan wasted no time going to the door and letting Piccolo inside. "Thanks for getting here so quickly," the half-breed said.

"No problem, Gohan," Piccolo replied. "What's so urgent, though?"

Everyone quickly gathered in the living room and looked at Gohan to explain. "See, I this dream last night," he began. "Well, it was more like a warning."

Kat sat up straighter. "Wait, were they sent by King Yemma?" she asked.

His head snapped to look at her with wide eyes. "Y-yeah," he revealed. "Did you get a warning, too?" Kat nodded. "But my grandparents said _I_ was the first one they connected with and then they left."

"No, I saw the king and queen," Kat told him. Gohan stared at her with even wider eyes.

"Hold on, what are you two talking about?" Bulma interjected.

The preteens looked at everyone in the room, and they were looking at them with confused gazes. Kat cleared her throat. "Sorry," she said. "Um, well, apparently Hell had a problem-"

"And Nappa's going to be here in two days!" Gohan exclaimed.

There was a collection of scowls and scared looks. " _WHAT?!_ " everyone shouted.

"That's impossible!" Vegeta snapped. "He's dead!" Then he smirked. "I made sure of that."

_Right, Gohan said he was the one who killed Nappa,_ Kat remembered. _Was never surprised, and I'm still not._ "I'm more inclined to believe King Yemma who knows exactly what's going on," she pointed out.

"Hell apparently opens up every 100 years, and usually they're quick enough to close it," Gohan stated. "But there was so much power this time they weren't able to fix it like they usually do."

"And even though it's just Nappa, King Yemma is having a feeling of dread," Kat added.

Krillin let out a sigh of relief. "Man, I had this bad feeling you guys were going to say Frieza was back again," he admitted.

"Still, I don't think we should let our guard down," Piccolo advised. "If King Yemma really believes there's a danger here, I think we should be safe rather than sorry."

"Aw, come on, Piccolo, we have Gohan," Yamcha stated with a confident smile. "He beat Cell no problem. And even then, all of us are stronger since he first came to Earth."

"True, but I don't believe we should let that go to our heads," Tien argued. "I agree with Piccolo; we should play it safe and cautious. A little extra training never hurts." Everyone - except Yamcha, who still believed nothing bad would happen - nodded to that.

"So did your grandparents say where he was going to show up?" Chiaotzu inquired. "Or the king and queen?" _Whoever they are,_ silently rang in the air.

Both of the messengers shook their heads. "But we'll sense him, guarantee," Gohan brought up.

"Well, two days is the shortest amount of time you guys have had to prepare," Bulma said. She smiled. "Though I'm sure you'll send that creep back to Hell no problem."

"Actually, he won't be going back," Kat corrected. "If you die when you're already dead, that's it."

Bulma stared at her. "Oh...wow," was all she could muster.

"It's not like he was of any use anyway," Vegeta scoffed.

Tien shook his head, not at all surprised. And then he realized something. "Um, two days from now, right?" Gohan and Kat nodded. "Isn't that Christmas?" They nodded again, and a few seconds passed as it sunk in.

"He's going to ruin _Christmas_?!" Bulma finally cried.

"Man, this isn't even fair!" Yamcha complained.

"Hey, hold on, this could be good," Krillin countered. "That'll give us even more motivation to show him his place!"

Yamcha huffed. "Still..."

"Glad to know your stupid holidays are more important than your precious Earth," Vegeta grumbled.

"They're not stupid," Kat mumbled. "But Vegeta _is_ right. Earth comes first. Festivities, second." Yamcha waved his hand in understanding.

"Hey Piccolo, can I train with you?" Gohan asked with excitement.

His teacher smirked. "Sure, Kid," he replied.

Krillin chuckled. "To be honest, for once I'm kind of excited," he said.

"Nappa won't stand a chance against all of us!" Kat exclaimed.

"Not quite." Everyone looked at Vegeta in confusion. "We're going; you are not."

The room fell silent, and a few seconds later tension rose. "What?" Kat muttered.

"If there really is a feeling of dread, then I don't think you would be strong enough to take Nappa on," Vegeta reasoned.

Again, the room fell silent, and then Kat began to make irritated noises as she tried to find words. " _What_?" she finally repeated. " _Why_?! Everyone here has agreed at one point or another that because I'm training with you I'm incredibly strong, and you're _way_ stronger than Nappa _ever_ was! What, you think I can't handle this because...because... _what_?! I'm serious, there's no reason to doubt in my abilities! King Vegeta even told me not to screw up, meaning he _wants_ me to fight."

Now everyone knew what she had meant by the king and queen, and they were all taken by complete surprise, especially Vegeta, but he shook it off to continue with his point. "Kat, I just don't think you're ready," he countered.

"But _why_?!" Kat egged on. "It _can't_ be because I'm human, because I'm stronger than Yamcha, and he's still going. It _can't_ be because I'm too young, because Gohan is going, and I can hold my own decently well against him. So what is..." She looked around the living room, and then an idea began to form, and she growled. "Oh, I get it."

Vegeta was honestly confused. "Get what?" Whatever she was thinking, he knew it wasn't anything good.

"I get why, you misogynistic assholes."

_That_ was a response _no one_ saw coming. Yamcha braved himself to try and calm the storm before it came. "Kat, that's not-"

"Really, it's not?" Kat growled. Too late. "Look around. Do you see a _single_ female fighter besides me?"

"No, but-"

"But _nothing_ ," the girl hissed. "I'm going, and there's nothing any of you can do to stop me. And when I'm done _wasting_ Nappa, I better get some damn respect!"

"Kat, none of us would ever think you aren't worth re-" Krillin barely dodged a ki blast to the head, and everyone looked at the hole that had been created in the wall. While they were all distracted, Kat ran out of the building. The fighters whipped around in time to see her bolt out the door and they chased after her, but by the time they made it to the front lawn, Kat had already shot off faster than lightning. They were in such a state of shock none of them could move a muscle to go after her, and for a while no one could speak, either. "Well...that was a thing," Krillin finally noted.

"An undeserved thing," Yamcha grumbled. "Seriously, that was uncalled for."

"Why did she do it in the first place?" Tien questioned. "It wasn't like we were patronizing her."

"To be honest, I'm not surprised," Bulma piped up.

Everyone looked at the woman leaning against the doorway. "How?" Gohan asked.

"Let's start from the top," the scientist began. "Who do we all compare Kat to all the time?"

Vegeta growled. "If you're suggesting this is my-"

"Hold on, Vegeta, let me explain," Bulma interrupted calmly. "Just answer my question: who do we compare her to?" Even Tien and Chiaotzu could tell who the person was, and so they looked at the Saiyan Prince like everyone else. "Exactly. Now, imagine if the same advice had been given to him in front of the group. What would he do?"

"He would probably get really angry-" Gohan stopped, realizing it had been a rhetorical question. "Oh."

"Oh indeed."

"But Vegeta has experience," Piccolo pointed out. "Kat doesn't. She should know that."

"I never said what she did was right," Bulma countered. "What I'm saying is that it's understandable, and she wants to prove she has what it takes."

" _Why_?" Yamcha cried. "We all know she's strong, there's no need to rub it in our faces."

Bulma shook her head. "It's not about rubbing it in your faces, it's about acceptance," she corrected.

"That's even worse!" her ex-boyfriend exclaimed. "Vegeta's about as new as she is!"

Again, she shook her head. "How long have you known Vegeta?" Everyone looked confused but began to count years, not that Bulma let them answer. "6 years, 5 months, 8 days, 10 hours, and 17 minutes." The gang looked at her as if she suddenly grew a tail, but the woman continued despite their wide-eyed glances. "Now, how long has Kat been around?" Since everyone had met her at a different time, it was harder to figure out, though once again Bulma answered her own question. "1 year, 7 months, 3 days, 22 hours, and 23 minutes. That's when she met Vegeta and I. She's even newer to some of you." She specifically looked at Tien and Chiaotzu when she said that. "So - factoring out age and any unpleasant past experiences - who are you more likely to listen to: the new recruit or the one you've known longer?" Well, she wasn't wrong. "With that in mind, let me get to my next point.

"Before she joined us, who did she answer to? No one, not even her principal. She dictated _what_ was dealt with, _how_ it was dealt with, and _when_ it was dealt with. There was no one to impress, because her friends and grandmother loved her anyway, and there was no one to catch up to, because she was the best. Now that she's here, though, there are people who can talk the talk _and_ walk the walk, and even if we accept her with open arms, her subconscious is probably telling her to prove she can hold her own and that she won't be a burden." Bulma looked at Vegeta. "Vegeta's intention was good and ultimately right, but Kat has her own pride. We joke about how Vegeta taught her to have too much pride, but she always had her own sense of it. And now...well, it's been unintentionally shot."

For the umpteenth time, she wasn't wrong. Vegeta looked in the direction the girl had flown off in. Normally he didn't care if he offended someone, but hurting Kat's feelings wasn't his intention. Bulma was (once again) right in implying he had cared about her safety, and she needed that explained before she got herself hurt. So he took to the skies, and below him he heard Gohan call out to him, but nothing came of it. Most likely the others held him back so that the prince could accomplish this on his own.

It didn't take him long to reach her house, and he landed on the balcony. Surprisingly, the glass door was open despite no one being inside besides the frog. He rolled his eyes at the dozing form but decided to let himself in and ask Natane where her granddaughter would have gone. "She's not here," Ginyu suddenly informed just before Vegeta opened the door.

Not expecting him to be awake, the Saiyan jumped slightly and spun around to look at the desk. The Namekian frog now had his eyes open and was smirking. Vegeta rolled his eyes and growled. "I figured, Toad," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "I want a lead as to _where_ she would go."

"I don't think Squirt wants you to know where she went," the frog replied. "But if you want to go on a wild goose chase, be my guest."

Vegeta grunted and left Kat's room. The sounds of the TV told him someone was downstairs. Just in case the woman decided to be home instead of at work, he walked with caution. Thankfully though not really surprising, it was Natane. Now he just had to think of how to approach her without scaring her. Luckily - or maybe slightly frightening - old women were still women, which meant they were still acutely aware. "Who's there?" the 68 year old woman asked, though she wasn't frightened, which was perhaps more frightening.

"Vegeta," the man answered. "I'm looking for Kat. She took off, and I need to talk to her."

"Yes, she flew into in her room suddenly and began packing, grumbling all the while," Natane recalled, turning her head from the TV to look at him. "She did that from time to time when she was younger, and she always went to her friends. Though, this time she came downstairs to take food. I'm not sure why. Anyway, Mitsumi is the house to the right as soon as you go out the door." He nodded and left quickly to hopefully catch her.

When he knocked on the door, he was surprised to find a girl even smaller than Kat but clearly much younger. She had big brown eyes and dark brown hair in a bowl cut, and she was wearing a white sports dress. A dog plushy was hanging onto her left shoulder, and it had the same wide-eyed expression as its owner. And then...

"BIG SISSY, THERE'S SOMEONE AT THE DOOR!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. For Vegeta's super human hearing that hurt _way_ more than it should have. When he was done massaging his ears, Vegeta was met with a young woman who looked almost exactly like Mitsumi except she didn't have freckles or glasses, and she had short curly hair.

"Who are you?" the woman in the white t-shirt and jeans inquired.

"Vegeta," he replied. "I'm looking for Kat, and her grandmother said she usually comes over here."

The older female nodded, and then the small one took a deep breath to yell again. "Momoko, not again," her older sister instructed. Vegeta gave her a thankful glance, and the woman nodded. "Can you get Mitsumi like a normal person?"

" _Fine_ ," the girl huffed before dashing off.

They watched her go, and then the brown haired woman looked back at him. "I haven't seen Kat today, but for all I know she could have snuck in," she stated. "If she is upset, though, Mitsumi is probably hiding her."

"I'm good at getting the information I want," Vegeta informed. The eldest gave him a slightly scared look, but before she could say anything, Momoko dragged Mitsumi down the stairs so fast Kat's best friend almost tripped.

"Kami, Momo, you trying to kill me?" Mitsumi hissed.

"But there's someone here for you," the little girl whined.

Mitsumi rolled her eyes, but then noticed the Saiyan. "Vegeta?" She ran over to the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Kat got upset and took off. Is she hiding in your house?"

"No sir," Mitsumi responded. Vegeta could tell she wasn't lying. "If she's not here, at her house, or at yours, she's probably at Yuki's. I'll call him." She quickly ran off and grabbed the phone in the kitchen, typing in the number at an insane speed. After a few seconds, someone picked up. "Hey Kei, is Yuki there?" There was silence as she waited. "Yuki, is Kat there?" She turned around, an annoyed look on her face. "Well obviously she's not here. I wouldn't be calling otherwise. I'll ask again: is she there?" The boy answered. "You aren't lying, are you? Because Vegeta doesn't appreciate liars." Vegeta smirked at her statement, and Mitsumi beamed but then went to a downcast look. "Alright. Can you think of anywhere she would go?" The pause was much longer than before, and then Mitsumi took the phone away from her mouth. "Yuki thinks maybe that 'secret place' she never fully explains."

_The place where she learned to fly, of course,_ Vegeta inwardly scolded. And he had a feeling where she was hiding, too. He gave a curt nod to the middle sister and took off, not caring if Mitsumi's sisters were spooked by his actions.

Once again, it didn't take him long to reach his destination, and he headed straight for the cave. He had shown it to her a few months back when they came a second time for extra flight practice. It was where he stayed for a few weeks after he reached Super Saiyan status, before the androids arrived. The cave was nicely insulated and not too deep, and he had put in ( _coughstolencoughcough_ ) some furniture from Capsule Corp. - a bed and a battery-powered lamp and fridge, which were surprisingly still in good condition. If it was true Kat was in the cave, then it came at no surprise she took food from her house. Vegeta went inside. "Go away!" boomed from the back. He sighed and ignored her as he walked towards the back. Kat was sitting on the bed with her arms crossed and a stern glare, her bag at the foot of the bed. "What part of 'go away' don't you understand?!"

"Kat, you're being unreasonable," Vegeta said, trying to stay calm.

"No, you are!" she shot back, sounding like a young child rather than an almost teenager.

"If you will just listen to me for five minutes-"

"I'm going and you can't stop me!" Kat snapped.

Vegeta growled. _This is what I get for trying to act civil,_ he chastised. "You want to be difficult?" he challenged. With two strides he was in front of her with her wrist in his hand. "Fine, I'm game."

Kat looked at his hand with wide eyes before she began to struggle. "No, let me go!" she demanded.

"Not until you stop acting like a spoiled brat and come back with me," Vegeta countered, still trying to remain mostly calm.

Still Kat struggled. She went to knee him in the stomach, but the Saiyan caught it and then proceeded to fling the small girl over his shoulder. "Put me down, let me go!" she shouted, kicking and punching his back and chest. But Vegeta wasn't affected. He turned to walk out of the cave when the girl suddenly grabbed the back of his head and kneed him in the face. _That_ definitely affected him, and he dropped her as he tried to rub the pain away. While he was distracted, Kat blasted him in the back, sending him flying. He skidded to a stop on his back and sat up, meeting the eyes of a very furious Earthling. "I. Am. GOING!" Her tone made it clear that decision was final.

Completely shocked, Vegeta didn't move for about a minute before he pushed himself to his feet and lost a bit of control over his temper. "Fine," he spat. "But when you get seriously injured and prove that I'm right - _again_ \- _don't_ come crying to me." With that, he spun around and shot off towards Capsule Corp.

"Did you find her?" Bulma questioned as he stormed inside.

"Yes, but she refuses to listen for even a second," he hissed. "You see, _this_ is why I'm never nice. What do I get? No cooperation."

Bulma smiled. "Welcome to a day in my life," she giggled.

"You don't get it, Bulma," Vegeta argued. "She's not thinking about others," the blue haired woman held up a finger, but Vegeta didn't notice, "she could get seriously hurt," another finger, "who knows if she'll properly take care of herself, and..." He finally noticed the three fingers, and he frowned in confusion and annoyance. "What are you doing?"

"Counting the statements that sound familiar to me," she answered simply. Then she gave off a sly smile. "I wonder why." Vegeta opened his mouth to retort but closed it immediately and growled a little as he crossed his arms. "Vegeta, I'm as concerned as you, but I also think she'll be perfectly fine. You trained her, and I have no doubt in your abilities." He relaxed by only a slim margin. "Besides, if she's with you, she'll be okay. I bet being with all of you will be the safest place for her. You guys will have her back just as much as she'll have yours, and whether she ends up being right or she gets a few scratches, she'll still apologize for her behavior today." Now he completely relaxed, and Bulma smiled again, but bigger than before. "I believe in all of you."

It felt...strangely comforting to hear her say that. Before the androids came, he never talked to her, unless one counted arguing; the times he began to have an actual conversation with her occurred only months before he left Earth. And in the ten days before Cell, she never had the chance nor did he give her one. He really didn't know what to say, so he just uncrossed his arms. "I'm going to go train," he stated.

"Good!" Bulma exclaimed, a determined look on her face. "I brought out the original gravity room. It's out in the yard and I made sure it was at 100%. I packed the fridge completely and put in plenty of battle suits. You have my permission to stay in there if you really need to, just..." Her determined look went to a small smile. "Just please promise me you'll be careful." He stared at her again, again realizing how comforting her words were. Finally, he gave off his own small smile of his own. Once again she went back to a warm smile. "I know you don't need it, but good luck." She kissed his cheek and was about to turn to leave, but Vegeta wrapped an arm around the small of her back and pulled her into an actual kiss. Bulma was taken by surprise but quickly melted into it. After a minute they parted, and the Saiyan looked straight into his woman's dark blue eyes.

"I'll be fine," he promised. "They'll be fine. We'll be fine... She'll be fine."

"I know," the blue haired woman agreed. Vegeta smirked and quickly went to the outside gravity room.

With only two days instead of the usual year gaps, the Z Warriors immediately went to work. Well, except Gohan, who had to argue with his mom over it for about an hour. This time he was alone in his fight, since Piccolo refused to get involved in an argument battle with Chi-Chi. Eventually the half-breed won, and the intense training and pressure was on. Off in the distance, everyone could feel Kat's energy, but since she was rock climbing and meditating, her energy was low. Even if the others moved only a mile towards her, she would completely suppress her energy, effectively making her invisible. Not that they really tried; since everyone noted Vegeta had given up, they knew they would stand even less of a chance.

It was best to let things take their course, they all decided.


	13. The Ghost of the Past II

In no time at all, Christmas had arrived. While most families were gathered around the tree opening presents and blissfully unaware of any possible danger, the Z Warriors were tense, waiting for whenever Nappa would show. They had no idea when or where, so they kept all their senses high. By one o'clock there was still nothing, and Vegeta began to wonder if maybe the kids had been off a day, or if maybe if they had actually been dreaming. Just as he was about to relax, an unknown ki appeared not far from West City. That had to be him, though Vegeta was surprised at how big it was. "Bulma, I'm going," he announced. The man barely heard her shout, "Good luck" as he blasted off.

As he flew through the skies, he felt Gohan and Piccolo reach the spot first. Krillin was not far behind Vegeta, Tien and Chiaotzu were rapidly approaching, and Yamcha was nowhere to be found. _Lazy bum probably dozed off,_ the Saiyan thought with a sigh. He pushed the thoughts of the former desert bandit aside when he saw three figures in the distance. He knew exactly who they were: Gohan, Piccolo, and the person of interest. With a burst of speed Vegeta caught up with them and stopped abruptly, right in front of Nappa.

Nothing about his former bodyguard had changed, for the obvious reason of being dead. The only thing that was different now was the older Saiyan had his armor back in one piece. When Vegeta stopped all eyes were on him, and then Nappa had a smirking grin and very angry, cold eyes. "Well, if it isn't the man of the hour," he growled.

"The same could be said about you," Vegeta replied. "You know how I hate repeating myself, and I'm only going to say this once: leave."

"Not unless you're going back to Hell with me," Nappa spat.

"You really think you can kill me?" Vegeta chuckled.

Nappa chuckled as well. "With how long you've been with these pitiful Earthlings, I wouldn't be surprised if I could."

"We've all gotten a lot stronger since you last came!" Gohan retorted.

"Oh, so your worthless friends _are_ back? I already commented on the Namekian, but the rest of them? I figured they'd be too scared." He snickered. "Speaking about men of the hour, where's that traitorous father of yours?"

"Where Goku is happens to be none of your business," Piccolo informed. He smirked. "But as you'll see, we'll do just fine." Suddenly Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu showed up.

"Good, we're not late," Tien commented.

"Yeah, but Yamcha is," Krillin grumbled.

"So is Kat," Chiaotzu added in confusion as he looked around. "Where is she?"

Now that he mentioned it, the doll was right; Kat was nowhere to be seen. Vegeta couldn't even feel her ki. Either she had decided to sit this out (which was _beyond_ highly doubtful) or there was something else. The Saiyan Prince shook his head, choosing to focus on the moment. "Nappa, you aren't walking out of this alive," he promised.

"Only after you," the man repeated.

Everyone silently agreed that Nappa didn't need to know he would cease to exist after they were done.

As Vegeta expected, Nappa charged first, and he charged at Vegeta. The Prince nimbly dodged, and before Nappa could follow him, Tien punched him in the face. Vegeta was about to yell that he could handle this himself, but then he realized everyone but him had a bone to pick with the dead Saiyan. Any and all bones Vegeta had disintegrated along with Nappa the first time. So he decided to play supporting character, willingly this time.

He watched as his former bodyguard stopped himself and quickly rubbed his face, only to be kicked in the back by Krillin. The man stopped himself mid-flight again and spun around, his infamous temper beginning to show. Vegeta scoffed, tempted to tell him to calm his head like he used to just to make this more fun, but he wasn't going to. It only proved to him that killing Nappa was a mercy to the brute.

Before Nappa could charge in rage, Krillin flew towards him, and when the dead Saiyan went to punch him, the human zipped to the right, giving Piccolo the opening to fire a ki blast. Nappa flew back, right into another kick to the back, this time by Gohan. Now the Saiyan was flying towards Chiaotzu, and the doll was about to fire a ki blast of his own. But Nappa recovered faster than the times before, catching Tien's best friend off guard. Luckily, right before Nappa landed a punch, Yamcha flew in almost out of nowhere and landed a brutal punch of his own, sending the dead man flying back. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late," Yamcha greeted with a grin.

"About time!" Krillin snapped. "Where were you?"

"Making lunch, give me a break." Vegeta silently snorted, wondering how the former bandit felt like he could be so relaxed. "But it seems I'm not as late as Kat. I swore she would be the first one here."

"You're not the only one who finds that weird," Tien commented. "With how adamant she was I almost expected her to be here before Nappa even showed up."

"Well, she's not here now," Piccolo stated. "Let's focus on the fight. If she shows up, she shows up. If she doesn't, she doesn't."

_Hopefully she doesn't come at all,_ Vegeta thought. "If you're all done saying your goodbyes, I'd like to continue this fight," Nappa interjected.

"Oh shut it!" Yamcha shouted. "You're not killing anyone today!"

Nappa chuckled slowly. "Too bad I don't have any Saibamen with me. You would do better against them than me."

Yamcha growled. "Come on, guys, let's show this guy who's boss," he encouraged. Everyone agreed.

Vegeta watched as the Earthlings ganged up on his old bodyguard. It was kind of pathetic; at one point Nappa could take on 13 elite soldiers without breaking a sweat. Now he was getting beat up by four humans, a Namekian, and a half-breed, and he could barely land a punch. The Saiyan even flew up to Vegeta at one point, and the Prince responded by kneeing him in the chin and punching him back down to the other fighters. But slowly Nappa began to gain ground.

It started when he sent a small ki blast towards Chiaotzu, and it actually hit. The doll spiraled through the air, and Tien zipped over to his best friend to catch him. Yamcha was then slammed in the head and crashed into the ground below. Angry, Krillin and Tien teamed up, but now with momentum Nappa was able to fend them off. Piccolo got his turn while the two humans were recovering; yet he too was having trouble taking care of the man. When Nappa blasted the Namekian back, he turned to Gohan and grinned evilly. Unlike the first time Nappa appeared on Earth, though, the half-breed wasn't scared; in fact, he was quite determined to win. The two began to trade blows, and for a while Gohan was catching him off guard. But once again, Nappa started getting the upper hand. He punched the young boy back, and Nappa zoomed towards him, ready to land a devastating blow.

And then-

**_BOOM!_ **

The Saiyan was sent flying off his path from the surprise ki blast. Vegeta had no idea who it came from, and judging from the confusion on the Z Warriors' faces, neither did they. Then the Prince felt a new but familiar ki, and before he could see the new fighter, he heard them.

"Seriously, you're the brutal Saiyan we're supposed to fear? A ki blast like that should have been nothing more than a distraction."

" _What_?" Nappa hissed as he recovered, and everyone looked at Kat, who had her arms crossed and a smug look on her face. "And who the hell are you?"

"I don't see the point; my name won't matter once you're dead," Kat reasoned smugly.

"Well aren't you high and mighty about yourself," the Saiyan observed. Then he noticed the Royal Saiyan Family Crest necklace, and he chuckled. "Oh I get it, you're Vegeta's little pet, so you picked up some of his annoying habits."

Surprisingly, Kat wasn't mad at his accusation of her being a pet. Instead she just snickered. "Annoying, perhaps, but none the less true," she replied. "Forget all of these guys; I'm the one who's going to send you to oblivion."

Everyone looked at her in surprise, and after almost a minute Nappa laughed. " _You_ , little girl?" he questioned. "Please. The only reason that blast did anything was because it caught me off guard. From here on out that won't fly."

"Honestly, I'd think you'd learn about masking energy by this point," the girl chastised, still wearing her smirk. "You _were_ getting your butt kicked, and it was pure luck you started gaining the upper hand."

"Wait, you were watching the whole time?" Yamcha asked.

"Watching?" Kat repeated. "Of course not, I'm not that stupid. If I had been watching you guys would have felt my ki. I waited until your were all distracted before I flew over here."

Even if he was angry and annoyed that she was here in the first place, Vegeta couldn't help but be impressed. That was definitely a smart strategy to avoid the more experienced fighters from stopping her before she arrived. "Well, Vegeta, I think it's safe to say you taught her," Tien voiced. _Perhaps_ _ **too**_ _well,_ the Saiyan thought.

"Enough of this!" Nappa shouted. "So what if Vegeta taught you? You're still a runt!"

"Then come on, tough guy," Kat challenged. "Show me what you got."

Fuming, Nappa charged, but in the blink of an eye Kat was gone. Not seconds later she reappeared behind him and kicked him between the shoulder blades. But she was _far_ from done; Kat didn't plan on giving him even a second to use. She darted in front of the falling Saiyan and punched him rapidly, alternating between his gut and face. Nappa tried to swing at her, but she simply ducked and then gave a harsh roundhouse kick to his stomach, which sent him higher into the sky. "Wow, look at her go," Gohan breathed.

"Maybe she was right," Yamcha stated. "Maybe she really can beat him."

"You wouldn't hear me complain if she could," Krillin piped up. Then he laughed lightly. "In fact, if she's that confident and strong, I'd say go for it!"

"Yeah, go Kat, you can do it!" Chiaotzu cheered, and Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha soon joined him.

Tien and Piccolo flew close to Vegeta as they observed Kat's beat down. "Looks like you taught her well," the triclops commented. Vegeta grunted, still a little miffed she hadn't listened.

But there was also...something else.

_I don't get it,_ the Prince thought. _How come I can't shake this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach?_ "Something's on your mind," Piccolo noticed.

"None of your concern," Vegeta responded, never taking his eyes off of the girl wailing on the helpless Saiyan.

"Are you...worried?" Tien couldn't help but inquire. "She's doing great up there."

"I'm not worried," the Prince denied, although he was pretty sure that was exactly what he was feeling.

"He wouldn't be holding anything up his sleeve, would he?" Piccolo asked.

"Nappa's never been the cunning type; I highly doubt he'd be up to anything." _And yet..._ Vegeta continued to observe the one-sided fight, and as Kat nimbly dodged a punch, the Prince noticed something he hadn't before: Nappa's tail. It was slowly uncoiling and twitching, and Vegeta saw the outcome before it happened. "Kat, fly up!" he yelled. Kat stopped in surprise but then quickly did as he ordered just as the brown appendage lashed out in an attempt to grab her. The girl looked down at her teacher, and instead of thanking him, she proceeded to complain.

"Butt out, this is my fight!" she shouted.

_This is why I don't do nice things,_ Vegeta grumbled. "You know, a simple thank you would be nice," he retorted.

"I didn't ask for your help!" Kat snapped.

"Yeah, come on, Vegeta, don't ruin the fun," Nappa agreed, chuckling.

Vegeta huffed. "Nappa, your fight is with me, not her," he stated. "I'm the one you're after, right?"

"Seriously, you're going to pull that card _now_?" the girl spat. "You didn't seem so eager when I _wasn't_ here."

"Kat, just get down here and let me finish this," the Prince told her.

"Why, so you can prove how great you are compared to me?" she questioned. "You, you, you, it always has to be about you."

"You're the one acting like a spoiled brat," Vegeta shot back. "Now get down here."

"Damn it, Vegeta, just let me fight!" Kat yelled.

"You won't be able to kill him!" he argued.

" _Can too_! Maybe if you give me a damn _chance_ , I can _prove it_!"

"You know, you're beginning to remind me of someone," Nappa suddenly said, his voice a tad haunting. Kat turned around, and Nappa smirked. "Someone I despised."

The girl matched his smirk. "Well, the feeling's mutual," she replied.

"The sharp tongue comes to mind," the Saiyan began to describe, and Vegeta stared at him curiously. What was he going on about? And why now? "Of course, that's not the most striking one, and it's not the one I hate the most."

Hate the most? What the hell was he talking about? "What, is it that we're both immensely stronger than you?" Kat guessed mockingly.

"No. In fact, they were pathetically weak." Weak? Vegeta didn't know anyone with a sharp tongue and yet was weak-

His heart skipped a beat.

Oh no.

He _wouldn't_.

"You know who I'm talking about, right, Vegeta?" Nappa egged on. "I would say their name, but I seem to recall that none of us were worthy of repeating the name."

He was.

This didn't bode well in the slightest.

"Nappa, forget the girl," he instructed. "Your fight is with me. No one else."

Kat was fuming. "For the _last_ time, I can-"

"Do what?" This time, Nappa's tail moved so fast no one saw it coming. It wrapped itself around Kat's neck in a flash, and he had her in a choke hold. Kat's eyes went wide, and then she narrowed them as she brought her hands up to the tail and tried to break free. Meanwhile, Vegeta and the others went to help. "I wouldn't move even an inch if I were you," Nappa warned. "So much as a twitch," he tightened his grip, and Kat pulled back on the tail harder, "and her neck snaps like a twig."

They didn't dare to test him, but Vegeta did decide to verbally lash out. "Nappa, let go of her!" he barked. "I told you, your fight is with me!"

This time Kat didn't retort; she was too focused on trying to escape. So Nappa chuckled. "I'm not so sure she agrees," he said, lifting her up a bit higher. "She's putting up quite the fight."

"When I...get out of this...you're _dead_ , coward," Kat hissed.

"Even when you're captured you still have a sharp tongue," Nappa noted. "Just like Vegeta, and just like...well, he knows." Then he sneered. "And now, how about we take a trip down memory lane, Boss. Let me ask: the first thing Frieza did to them was rip a hole right through their torso, right?"

Everything stopped, and for the first time Kat looked afraid. Her lapis lazuli eyes were wide and she was trembling slightly. "Y-you-"

Nappa laughed. "I see, all I have to do is share a story and you turn into a sniveling brat like you should be," he stated. "Don't worry, though, I won't follow Frieza's example... _too_ much." Without warning, he punched her hard in the middle of her back. Kat gasped and then winced, and the Saiyan laughed again. "Come on, Vegeta, what happened next? I wasn't there like you, so I only heard stories."

"Let her go!" Vegeta demanded.

Of course - and Vegeta should have known better - that only egged him on. "Ah yes, I remember, they were tortured a little." With that he began to pummel the girl, and she braced herself against the impacts. He stopped for a second, but she didn't let down her guard. Noticing this, Nappa loosened his tail, and her body went slightly slack unintentionally, which allowed him to punch her while her defenses were down. She gasped again and then coughed up blood. Now back in the tail's grip, Kat looked weak and in tremendous amounts of pain.

And the Saiyan was nowhere close to done.

"Now, let's see, what came next?" Nappa pretended to ponder.

Vegeta knew, and he didn't want it to happen. "You big bully, come here and fight us!" Gohan shouted.

He only chuckled. "Let me finish this little reenactment," he replied. "Oh yes, that's right, it was..." Then he swung his burly arm to the front and slammed his fist right into her nose, breaking it with a disgusting crunch. Kat screamed, and Vegeta noticed small tears hanging at the edge of her eyes. "Well, seems like you're a bit tougher than they were. I heard they began to sob. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised consider they were-"

"NAPPA!" Vegeta roared. "LET. HER. _GO_!"

"But there's just one more thing that happened," Nappa stated hauntingly. His lips curled into an evil, diabolical smirking grin. "They died."

Kat's eyes went as wide as the planet she lived on, and they showed absolute regret and fear. "Vegeta, HELP ME!" she screeched.

Three words. Three words he heard eleven years before that wouldn't stop haunting him for two years after. And here they were again.

And once again, there was nothing he could do.

Before anyone could move, Nappa spun her around so they were facing each other and he went to fire one of his strongest ki attacks. Kat barely got out a scream before the Saiyan fired, and it sent her plummeting towards the ground. None of the Z Warrior spun around in time to see the impact, but they most definitely heard the sickening crunch. They turned and looked down to find her face down and unmoving.

Most importantly, her ki was practically nonexistent.

She might as well have been dead.

The Saiyan Prince was trembling, unable to believe what just happened. And then, slowly, he became _enraged_. He let out a roar and instantly turned Super Saiyan, and he charged right for Nappa, who was surprised to see the legendary form. Vegeta didn't give Nappa time to think let alone move as he barreled into the opposing Saiyan. Then Vegeta quickly charged a large ki ball in his hand, ready to fire a Big Bang Attack. "NAPPA!" he thundered. "PREPARE TO BE SENT TO OBLIVION!" With that he fire, and Nappa barely manage to dodge the blast, getting hit by the tail end of the explosion.

"What the hell, Vegeta?" he questioned. "She's just an Earthling-"

"WHO I CHOOSE TO CARE FOR AND WHY I DO IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!" the Prince interrupted. He growled and lowered his voice to a dangerous tone. "And when I told you to leave her alone, you should have listened. I was considering making your death swift and painless like last time, but now I will teach you regret. You will feel _every_ bit of pain, do you understand?"

Even the Z Warriors were fearful despite being on Vegeta's side. He was completely serious, as much as when Future Trunks was killed by Cell. Thinking of that moment, Gohan realized he should probably check on Kat and make sure nothing happened to her body while the fight continued. He waited until Vegeta began to live up to his promise - which didn't take him long - and he flew down to her motionless body. Chiaotzu, noticing the half-breed, flew after him. They knelt down beside the body, and that's when Gohan noticed something. "Chiaotzu, do you feel that?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," the doll replied. "I can't believe it, but..." Then he gasped. "We have to tell Vegeta. He's the only one who would be fast enough."

"Right," Gohan agreed. He zoomed towards the Saiyan Prince, who was putting the other Saiyan in his place. Just as the half-breed reached the fight, Vegeta blasted Nappa back, and he was about to charge after him. "Vegeta, hold on!"

The man glared at him. "I'm in the middle of something, _brat_ ," he growled, still in a state of complete fury.

"Please, you have to listen!" Gohan begged. "It's Kat; she barely hanging on!"

That instantly snapped Vegeta out of it. "What?"

"It's true, and if we can get her to the Lookout fast enough, Dende can heal her!" Gohan explained. "We won't even need the Dragon Balls! But we need to hurry, and you're the fastest one here!"

"What...are you two...whispering about?" Nappa panted, looking very beaten up.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. He didn't have time to take on Nappa anymore, but he had to finish him off. "Vegeta!" In the blink of an eye, Piccolo was in front of him. "We'll take care of him, just go," he told the Prince, and Vegeta nodded. "Tien, Yamcha, get up here! We're finishing this!"

They zipped up, but both of them were confused. "What's this about?" Tien inquired.

"We don't have time for this!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Vegeta, Gohan, go!"

"You've got it, Piccolo!" the half Saiyan responded. He and Vegeta flew back down, where Chiaotzu already had Kat gently in his psychic hold. Slowly and carefully, he moved Kat over to Vegeta and flipped her over, and they all gasped at the sight. "O-oh, _God_ ," Gohan whispered.

As if Earth's Guardian didn't have enough work on his hands already from the cuts all over her, Kat's face was practically unrecognizable, burned and bleeding with portions of skin missing. When Vegeta finally took the unconscious girl, he realized she had multiple broken bones, and he was almost afraid to fly at high speeds. But that was the only way to save her, so without a second thought he took off, and even Gohan at Super Saiyan 2 had trouble keeping up with him. Nappa, barely seeing them fly by, fired one last attack at Vegeta, but Krillin and Chiaotzu intercepted it before trying their best to keep up with the two fighters in front of them.

Never once did Vegeta slow down, flying so fast the world was nothing more than blurry colors and the wind thundered in his ears. He hoped that Dende was ready to help, and fortunately - because he had been watching - the young Namekian was. Mr. Popo had even set a mat up for the small girl, and Vegeta didn't need to be told to set her down on it. As soon as Kat was lying down, Dende went to work with his magic. Usually, when he healed it only took a few seconds. But this time it took him a full minute, and even then, Kat's face was still in tatters. Suddenly Dende stopped, panting. "Dende, what's wrong?" Gohan questioned with concern.

"There's so much to heal," he answered. "That single hit broke every bone in her body, and it also completely paralyzed her."

That shook the other three to the core, and then Vegeta growled. "Then what the hell are you doing?!" he barked. "She's dying and-"

"I'm tired, Vegeta!" Dende shouted, making the others jump. They had never heard the gentle Namekian sound so agitated. "I've never had to heal to this extent before. I just told you every single bone was broken, and that took a lot of energy. Now I have to repair almost every one of her nerves _and_ her face. She has enough ki now to live; if she didn't, I would still be at it, even if I had to push myself to my limit. But she'll be fine for many minutes. I'm trying my best, so don't yell at me!"

The Lookout fell silent for what felt like an hour, and then Mr. Popo patted the young Guardian on the back. "You're doing very good, Dende," he assured calmly.

Dende sighed. "Thank you," he said. Then he looked at Vegeta. "I'm sorry I yelled; I know you're worried, but this is going to take time and energy. And unfortunately, I don't have energy."

Gohan walked over to him. "I have an idea," he offered. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder, and he transferred some of his ki. "Does that help?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "Thanks, Gohan."

His half-breed friend smiled back, and then Dende went back to healing, a bit slower as to conserve more energy. Vegeta watched intently as he worked, and the Prince squeezed his arms. He knew should have faith in the Namekian; not once had the kid ever failed in his healing. But it had always been quick, and everyone woke up instantly. And he couldn't help but think,

_What if Kat never wakes up?_

...

Once again, Kat found herself in complete darkness, only this time she was lying face up and her body was too stiff to move. Everything in her mind was kind of fuzzy, so she barely remembered what happened within the last hour. "I could have sworn I was on my way to fight Nappa..." she muttered.

"Ah, there you are, darling," a voice stated, and Kat tilted her eyes up to see Queen Kyabe smiling warmly at her.

"Hello, your majesty," she greeted, her voice a tad quiet because of the stiffness.

"Please, just call me Kyabe," the queen insisted.

"Oh." There was silence, and then the deceased Saiyan elegantly sat down next to the girl. "Where's King Vegeta?" Kat asked.

"Back in Hell," his wife replied simply.

Kat barely managed a small nod. "Are you going back, too?"

Kyabe shook her head. "I reside in Heaven," she revealed.

"Why's that?"

"Remember, I am different from most Saiyans," Kyabe explained. "They considered me benevolent, even to my enemies. I always tried to take a diplomatic approach to my missions, and I never attacked first. The missions I choose were more about treaties rather than purges."

"So you were nice," Kat concluded.

"I like to think I was," the queen said with a smile.

The girl smiled, too. "So, where are we? Are we in my dreams again?" Kat wondered.

Now the woman smiled sadly, and Kat was curious as to why. "Not quite, darling," she answered.

"Then...where are we?" Kyabe wouldn't say anything, and then suddenly Kat's body began to lose its stiffness. Slowly she stood up and inspected her body. "Hey, I'm not stiff anymore," she noted as the queen stood as well. "I'm all better."

"Not...quite." Kat was confused by the answer.

And then her mind was flooded with memories. _Bad_ memories.

"Nappa...he...h-he got in that attack," Kat remembered. "A-and I was falling to the ground, and I-I heard this loud crack before everything just went dark and-"

"Please approach the Heavenly Check-In Station in an orderly fashion," a voice that sounded like it was coming through a megaphone advised.

It was as if the world froze. "I...I-I died?" Kat whispered.

"Not yet," the woman told her.

"Th-then...then I _am_?"

Again, Kyabe didn't answer, and then she finally breathed in through her nose. "Yes," she confirmed.

Her answer crashed down on Kat like ten-ton bricks. "No! I...I can't be dying!" she denied. "I-If I'm not dead, t-then that means took me to Dende, a-and he can heal _anything_ , so then-"

"Darling, calm down," Kyabe directed. "You took considerable damage from that last attack; even if your friend is healing you, there is no way to guarantee he will succeed."

"S-so, I'm g-going to die?" the girl questioned, terrified.

"I am not sure," the queen admitted. Then she offered a reassuring smile. "But your friends have those Dragon Balls, correct? They will bring you back if they must."

"But I don't want to die at _all_!" Kat argued. "I don't _care_ that they can bring me back; this is scary! I can hear them directing the spirits, and I'm starting to see clouds! I don't want to be here, I want to go home!"

"Darling-"

" _No_ , I want to go home! I want to go home! I want-" Her throat tightened, and after a few choppy breaths, Kat sunk to her knees and began to sob.

"Ssh, ssh, darling, everything will be okay," Kyabe assured as she dropped to her knees and hugged the girl, brushing her soft, silky hair.

"I-I don't want... I wanna... I-I..."

"I know, darling, I know," the queen soothed. "We will believe in your friend, but if worst comes to worst, I will never leave your side. I will stay with you until you can go home. Okay?"

Kat barely nodded before she began sobbing at full force, and Queen Kyabe held her tighter. The brown tail wrapped around the small girl in a comforting, reassuring gesture.

And then they began to wait.

...

Almost three hours had passed, and still Kat didn't wake. By this time everything about her was in good condition: her bones were mended, her nerves were fixed (which took most of the time), and her face was unscathed...minus a new scar on the bridge of her nose that Dende couldn't heal no matter how hard he tried. Nappa was dead (a story which Yamcha had no problem boasting), everyone was back in tip-top shape, and yet the atmosphere on the Lookout was practically dead.

Vegeta had taken a position next to the motionless girl and was pretty much performing a vigil. Gohan wasn't too far either, his eyes always trained on her as if that would wake her up. Dende was also close by, just in case something about her changed for the worst. The rest of the gang stayed off to the side, as to not frighten the poor girl when she _did_ wake.

If that would actually happen.

"So what are we going to say when she wakes up?" Krillin pondered aloud. "I mean, she's probably going to be losing her mind."

"Hopefully no one yells at her," Yamcha commented, specifically eyeing the full-blooded Saiyan. Vegeta pretended he didn't hear that.

"No one's going to do that," Tien argued. "At least, not until she's better. But that's not for me to decide."

"I'm just saying..."

"If you value your life I suggest you keep quiet," Vegeta warned, still not looking away from the still body. The man huffed but said nothing else.

Silently, Gohan moved closer, ending up right next to Vegeta, and luckily the man didn't object. "She _is_ going to wake up, right?" he asked quietly.

"Of course she is. Don't be stupid, boy," the Prince answered. _At least...she better._

Gohan just continued to observe Kat much like the man next to him was. "But...what if she doesn't?" he brought up. "What do we tell the others?"

"It won't!" Vegeta hissed. "But if it did, we get the Dragon Balls and wish her back. We'd have it done in a couple of hours." He grunted. "Though, as I keep telling you, it won't happen."

"Yeah..." The two Saiyans continued to stare. "But what-"

"Boy, if I have to tell you one more time..."

"Sorry," Gohan quickly apologized. Vegeta snorted, and they fell back into silence. They sat there for what felt like days until finally, _finally_ , Kat's eyes opened with hints of grogginess. Gohan wanted to cry out in joy, but he held his tongue so he wouldn't overwhelm her.

"Gohan?" she questioned, noticing him first. She sat up. "Where are we?"

"We're on the Lookout," he told her. He smiled. "Dende healed you."

Kat looked to her right, and the Namekian smiled at her. "I'm glad you're okay," he stated.

"Thank you," she replied. Then she looked at the ground, and slowly she turned her head to look at Vegeta, and she bit her lip. "V-Vegeta... I..."

_But when you get seriously injured and prove that I'm right -_ _**again** _ _\- don't come crying to me._

He looked into her slightly trembling eyes. "If you really need to, go for it," he allowed.

She opened her mouth to argue, but all that came out was a squeak. Kat retracted, trying to stop her tears, but they refused to stay trapped. There was a whine, and then Kat pounced at Vegeta, hugging him as she began to wail. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" she cried.

Vegeta still wasn't all that comfortable with comforting, but it didn't take him long to (hesitantly) return the hug. Everyone watched as he let the girl cry her heart out, and after what seemed like an hour, Kat had no more tears to give. She still whimpered, but there weren't any more tears running down her face. Noticing that, Vegeta began to speak. "What you did was stupid and dangerous, and you directly disobeyed my orders," he listed. "You wouldn't listen to me, and you charged in blindly, and... I'm sorry." _That_ caught Kat off guard. "I just stayed in the same place and watched, and because of it you..."

The girl buried her head deep into his shoulder. "It...it was scary," she whispered. "I...I could hear the ogres, and I was starting to see Other World... I was dying, a-and Kyabe said she would stay with me, but I...I didn't want to die."

"You're fine now," Vegeta assured. He pulled her back a bit so she could see how serious he was. "Now, you'll _really_ listen to me from now on, right?" She took a few seconds before she nodded, and he sighed. "When it really matters."

Finally, she offered a small smile and lightly giggled. "Yes sir," she agreed.

"Good." He let go of her, and Kat scooted back to stand up.

"So, you're okay?" Gohan inquired as he stood up as well. Kat nodded. "You sure?" She nodded again. "Cool." Then he took a deep breath. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you crazy?! You had us all worried; none of us knew where you went, and for all you knew you could have gotten killed! Mom was losing her mind, and I'm sure Yuki and Mitsumi were going crazy, and-"

Suddenly Kat started laughing, and she went on for a minute or two before she stopped. Then she grinned and hugged him. "Thanks for caring, Gohan," she said.

Gohan sighed but smiled as he hugged back. "I'm glad you're okay," he replied.

"Yeah, you really had us worried," Krillin voiced as he walked up to them. He smiled. "But we're all glad you made it out."

"Not to mention you did really well," Tien complimented. Kat was about to argue before the triclops continued. " _Before_ he caught you off guard. All of your training with Vegeta is really showing." Kat blushed.

"Although," Piccolo brought up with a smirk, "next time, and I know it's been hammered into the ground, don't pull any stupid stunts."

"Right." Kat looked around. "So, what happened to-"

The half Saiyan slapped a hand over her mouth. "He's dead," he reported flatly as he narrowed his eyes at Yamcha. "Piccolo, Tien, and Yamcha took care of him. How? It. Doesn't. _Matter_."

Vegeta snorted. "Truer words have never been spoken," he grumbled. Everyone but Yamcha - who looked mildly annoyed, snickered.

Kat was confused but let it slide. "Well then, what now?" she asked.

"I bet Bulma has something all ready to go for Christmas," Krillin suggested. "We worked hard, so I say we celebrate."

"Then let's go!" Yamcha shouted as he flew off the Lookout. Vegeta huffed but soon followed everyone, excluding the Namekians and Mr. Popo who had to stay behind. The kids waved goodbye to them and took off with the group.

On the way to Capsule Corp., Kat stealthily asked Tien to inform her of what happened. The man quickly looked at Vegeta to make sure he wasn't paying attention before he began. "When you hit the ground, Vegeta went crazy," he explained in a whisper.

"He did?" Kat questioned in surprise.

Tien nodded. "He made sure Nappa understood he had screwed up, and he would have continued had Gohan and Chiaotzu not realized you were still alive."

"I can't even believe that I was," the girl mumbled.

"You're not the only one, honestly. Anyway, Piccolo told Vegeta to get you to the Lookout as quickly as possible. Then he, Yamcha, and I took care of Nappa. He was so drained from taking Vegeta's beating it was rather easy. If he hadn't killed all of us in the past and if he hadn't hurt you the way he had, I might have felt sorry for him. After we made sure his body was gone, we made our way up to the Lookout." He stopped, looking a bit nervous to continue, but Kat urged him on. "Dende took a long time to heal you because you were...pretty banged up. Overall, though, it went relatively well. I mean, you're here."

"Right," Kat stated. "And I feel better than ever."

The man smiled. "That's good," he replied.

They finally made it to Capsule Corp., and they quickly identified more than one weak ki. "Seems like Bulma invited some others," Yamcha noted.

"Let's go see who," Krillin stated. The group made its way up to the fourth floor, and when they opened the door to the lounge, Kat was immediately tackled by Yuki and Mitsumi, giving her the same speech Gohan had, and it was almost point-for-point. Kat squirmed in their grip, feeling a tad bit uncomfortable, and Bulma giggled.

"Did everything go well?" she inquired off to the side to Vegeta.

"There were...a few hiccups," he revealed.

"Like what?"

At the same time, Chi-Chi was asking her son the same question, and the two Saiyans eyed each other. Vegeta gave an evil smirk, telling Gohan exactly what he was thinking of doing. The boy pondered about doing the same before he smirked back. So, at the same time, they let it slip. "She almost died."

Immediately the two women snatched Kat out of her friends' grip and squeezed her tight, exclaiming how glad they were that she was all right and ordering her to never do anything like that again. This time, Kat struggled to get air. "Vegeta! Gohan! I'll get you for this!" she promised, though it was hard to take her threat seriously when she was slightly wheezing and stuck between the two women. So they just laughed, with Vegeta deciding this was her punishment.

After about two minutes Kat finally broke free and scrambled away to catch her breath, and then Natane walked up to her, Ginyu on her shoulder. "Gran Gran, I-" Her grandmother cut her off by whacking her on the head with her newly acquired walking cane. "Ow! What was-" The wood hit her head again, and Kat tried to speak up against it once more. But Natane just kept repeating the action until finally Kat was able to get her to stop.

"Maybe that will smack some sense into you," the elder scolded. Kat slumped her shoulders and hung her head, but then her grandmother smiled. "Welcome home, dear." The girl smiled and met Natane in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Gran Gran," Kat told her. Ginyu croaked, probably trying to say something snarky, but he didn't have the Universal Translator on.

"I know," Natane said. "You don't need to say it again." She gently pushed her granddaughter back. "Now, how about we celebrate Christmas? Bulma spent a lot of time preparing everything."

Kat nodded. "Of course," she agreed.

Luckily for the girl, Natane had brought over all of the presents Kat had bought and wrapped, so she didn't have to go home. Out of curiosity, Kat asked if her mother had noticed her absence. Predictably, the answer was no, even though Christmas Eve and Day were the _only_ days she had off. Kat didn't let it bother her too much.

All of the people she needed were right with her.

Despite it being five in the afternoon, which was when most families would be having Christmas dinner, the gang was passing around presents. Kat didn't really care what she got, though she was happy with all of the gifts. Really, nothing could beat cheating death and being with her friends and grandmother. Everyone seemed to enjoy what they got, and Kat was glad she had made good choices in her gifts. But there was one she was kind of embarrassed to give, because she had no idea if he would even like it.

Besides, she was the only one who got him a gift.

"Hey, wasn't there one more gift?" Bulma remembered when all of the other gifts had been passed around and opened.

"Yes, I could have sworn it was a red box," Chi-Chi concurred.

Mrs. Brief clapped her hands together. "Ah, that's right, it was Kat's gift to-"

"Why do you always have to bring up the most embarrassing things?" Kat interrupted with a squeak.

"But I think it's the most adorable thing," the blonde haired woman countered. "And it was so sweet of you, too."

"Look, it's nothing. Not really all that important," Kat argued.

"What isn't?" Vegeta inquired.

If there was anyone who could get Kat to talk, it was the Prince.

Knowing it was a battle she couldn't win, the small girl got up and walked over to the red box on the left side of the tree with a blush on her face. "Huh, it was in plain sight the whole time," Bulma noticed.

"Well, you do always miss what's right in front of you," Mitsumi piped up.

_Yeah, but...it's a big red box,_ Kat thought. _It was right there the whole time; I kept my eye on it, that's for sure._ She picked up the box and, with her heart hammering in her chest, she brought it over to the recipient. "M-Merry Christmas, Vegeta," she muttered. Vegeta was surprised but took the box anyway. He studied it for a while before tearing at the red wrapping paper, and once he lifted the lid he was even more surprised at what he saw.

The girl had gotten him a dark blue vest, with a black long sleeve shirt to go with it. There was a pair of faded gray jeans, and dark brown boots. "I-I understand if you don't want it," Kat stuttered instantly. "I-I know how you really don't like Earthling fashions. I mean, I-I don't even know why I bought it. It was kind of on impulse because I saw it while I was looking for a present for Trunks and I happened to think of you and figured maybe, just _maybe_ , you might but I'm pretty sure you don't-"

By this time, Vegeta had left the room, and Kat went on rambling for a few more seconds before she realized he was gone. She pouted, feeling rejected, until he soon returned, wearing the new outfit. "Wow, Kat, you've really got a sense of style," Krillin complimented. Kat blushed even redder.

"She gets it from spending time with moi," Yuki boasted.

"Whatever, narcissist," Mitsumi huffed.

"Though I've got to agree with Krillin," Bulma voiced. Then she winked. "You do look quite handsome." Now Vegeta blushed as he shoved his hands into the pockets. Everyone, minus Kat, laughed before mingling with each other. The two embarrassed people stayed completely still, looking at the carpet like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Finally, though, their eyes met, and Vegeta took a breath.

"Thank you," he mouthed, unable to get his voice to work. But Kat didn't seem to mind; she just smiled - still embarrassed - and nodded.

It was definitely a good Christmas.

...

Later that night, Kat had changed into her pajamas: a dark green long sleeve and some fuzzy blue pants. It felt nice to sleep in an actual room rather than a cave trying to be one. Or, at least, the plan _had_ been to sleep, but then a knock came at her door. Curious, she walked over and opened it up. "Good, you're still awake," Vegeta noted quietly, surprisingly still wearing his new outfit. "Come on, let's go."

"Where-" The Prince shushed her. "Where are we going?" Kat asked in a lower voice.

"Just follow me," he instructed. Kat still had no idea what was going on but played along anyway. The two snuck out of the building, and once they were outside Vegeta took to the air, Kat quick to follow.

They flew for a while, the girl still not quite sure where they were going. And then Vegeta began to slow down, so she copied. They came to a complete stop and hovered in the air. "Let me ask you: did you ever pay attention to the area at night when you were on your own?"

"You mean, these last two days?" Kat clarified. He nodded. "No, not really. I was...not in the best mood."

Vegeta turned to face her, and after a couple of seconds he smirked. "Don't worry, it took me a while to notice, too."

"Notice?" she repeated. "Notice what?"

"This." And he pointed to the ground. She looked down and gasped.

The two had flown to the place she had been staying, and while it was already stunning during the day, Kat had never noticed how much the nighttime scenery rivaled it. The numerous stars in the cloudless sky lighted up the brightly colored flowers - the yellows, the whites, the pinks, and even the oranges. The snow on top of the mountains reflected the celestial objects as well, and that gave Kat a reason to look up.

It was like she was drowning in a sea of tiny white dots.

"I promised I would take you stargazing here, right?" Vegeta reminded as she continued to be mesmerized. "So, I figured there was no better night than tonight, don't you think?"

"This... I..."

"I'll take that as a yes." Without warning, Vegeta scooped her up - to which she squeaked in surprise - and zoomed to the ground, slowing down so that landing on his back wouldn't cause a crater.

"Vegeta!" Kat hissed, forgetting about the stars for the moment. "You could have warned me, you stupid jerk!"

He just chuckled. "You know, I studied a few constellations you can see from here," he told her.

Kat stopped being annoyed. "Why?" she inquired.

"Curiosity," he replied simply. "Want me to show you?"

"Okay," she agreed, and she laid her head on his chest.

"Now, from where we are and this time of year, we can see twelve constellations," he began to explain. "The first one I found, which got me curious in your constellations, is called Ursa Major." He held up his finger and began connecting stars, but about halfway through, Kat lost the outline.

"I-I'm sorry," she immediately apologized as soon as she told him.

Vegeta huffed, not at her losing track but at her needless apology. "Here." He gently took her hand and began making the outline once more. Kat was able to follow her own finger much better, and after they were done tracing she took a minute to try and figure out a shape.

"It looks like a bear," she commented.

"Yes," Vegeta said. "Moving on, the next one I learned is probably the most famous: Orion." Again he traced with her finger, and Kat identified it as a warrior possibly with a bow or shield. They continued on: Draco, Gemini, Canis Major, Perseus... All twelve constellations were covered, and by the end Kat was dead tired. "Sounds like you want to go to bed," Vegeta chuckled as she let out her third big yawn.

"We don't have to go back, do we?" she asked sleepily.

"No."

"But-" She yawned. "Won't they wonder where we are? Will we get in trouble?"

"I'll take the blame this time."

"Really?"

"Really."

Once more, the girl yawned. "I feel...really lucky," she stated. "Like, I'm seeing something no one else in the universe does."

"Bulma does from time to time as well," the man responded, quickly realizing she wasn't talking about the stars.

Kat giggled. "Mmm hmm." They laid on the grass in silence. "Vegeta... I'm...I'm really sorry about whoever Nappa was talking about."

He eyed her, and then he shook his head. "It's in the past," he brushed off. "I've let it go. And there's no need to apologize for it."

"Okay..." For the sixth time, Kat let out a yawn. "And... I really like Kyabe."

Vegeta chuckled again. "I figured you would," he stated. "My mother was a strange one, though."

"But that's not bad."

"No, guess it's not."

The clearing fell into silence again. "She kind of reminded me of you a bit," Kat finally brought up.

"Great, I really _am_ getting soft," Vegeta huffed.

"Being soft isn't bad," Kat insisted.

Deciding to let her win this once, Vegeta sighed. "Perhaps." Kat smiled, and then she snuggled up to Vegeta a bit more, wanting the warmth that he provided. Again he sighed but only proceeded to wrap an arm around her. He contemplated on saying what he was (and he couldn't believe that he was) thinking of saying. "Merry Christmas, Kat," he finally caved in.

She hummed softly. "Merry Christmas," she returned. "And...thank you..."

From her soft breathing, Vegeta knew she was asleep, and he wasn't that far off. He smiled at her sleeping form before frowning slightly, remembering how she had looked not too long ago. _Maybe I was right the first time in giving up,_ he thought sadly. _How am I supposed to call myself a warrior if I can't-_ He stopped and sighed. _Just let it go. It's not worth thinking about right now._ He felt his eyes closing, and so he let himself fall asleep with one last thought:

_I won't let that ever happen again. I promise._


	14. While It Rains

    Girls screamed as the thunder rumbled outside, and in the gym, that made it twice as loud. As if Kat needed more of a reason to be pissed that day. It had already been rather stressful with a surprise and strangely difficult science quiz, followed by her lab completely falling apart because she had the audacity to leave her clumsy partner alone for one damn minute just to grab a beaker, and then in the next period (Algebra I) they had a substitute who seemed to be out for her because every answer was wrong even when the class agreed it was right.

    Perhaps it hadn't been a good day to go to school.

    "Alright, class, settle down," her P.E. teacher, Coach Lao, instructed. "Since it's clear the weather won't let up anytime soon, we'll stay here in the gym. Today we'll be playing dodgeball."

    Yep, definitely should have skipped.

    Obviously Kat wasn't against exercise; hell, P.E. was usually her favorite class. But she never liked dodgeball. It just...bored her, if she had to explain. So while the boys (minus a few) cheered and the girls (again, minus a few) groaned, Kat just sighed and leaned against the back wall. "Maybe I can just blend into the wall," she muttered. Her P.E. uniform was the same color as the pads on the cement wall - a dark navy blue - so maybe it would work.

    Unfortunately, Coach Lao wasn't going to let her. The man noticed she wasn't in the lineup when the teams were being put together. "Kat, get over here!" he demanded. "You're on Maito's team!" Again, Kat sighed and pushed off the wall to walk over to the teen with the light yellow eyes. "And Kat, I _better_ see you play," the man warned. "I'm not dealing with any of your stunts today."

    Shigeru, his friends, and Scythia snickered, and Kat rolled her eyes. "Sure," she responded flatly as she walked over to the team captain.

    "Sorry you got stuck with baggage, Maito!" Shigeru taunted.

    Surprisingly, Kat noticed that _he_ rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to him, Kat," he assured. "You're always welcome."

    "Absolutely," a black haired boy agreed. "Hey Mai, think we can hit them in the face?" Kat couldn't help her mouth curving up just a tad.

    The teen chuckled. "I don't think face shots are allowed, Tatsu," he stated.    

    "Damn," Tatsu jokingly hissed. Now Kat snickered lightly.  

    Everyone lined up on the opposite ends of the court, and Coach Lao set up the balls in the middle of the court. "Alright, ready?" There was a chorus of cries. "Good! Then 3...2...1... Start!"

    Maito and Tatsu instantly sprinted off, trying to get all of the balls on their side. They got most of them, but unfortunately Shigeru was able to get a few of them and use one to peg Tatsu right on the back. The black haired boy huffed and walked off to the side, standing next to the teacher. "Damn, Tat's out on the first hit," Maito sighed. "Kat, think you can be my backup?" Instantly he was met with backlash from most of his teammates.

    "She's not a team player!" one girl brought up.

    "Seriously, she hates everyone, she's going to let us lose," a boy complained.

    From the other side, Scythia snickered. "Even your own team doesn't want you, _Scarface_ ," she insulted.

    Kat clenched her teeth. So not only had it been a crappy day so far, but now the light purple haired girl was reminding her of the fight a little less than a month before. It _still_ gave her nightmare. Granted, she liked her new scar; in a way it made her feel accomplished. But now she was sharing a nickname with Yamcha, and he had the nickname first, so it should have only been his. Besides, it wasn't like the new nickname made the old one go away. "Freak" was still _very_ frequent.

    With all of that working against her, Kat had enough.

    She ran, grabbed a dodgeball, and threw it at the seventh grader with blinding speeds. It hit Scythia right in the shoulder, and the force of the impact caused the older girl to stumble back a bit. Everyone was shocked into silence as they stared at Kat, and they watched as a smirk slowly appeared. "Heh, guess this _is_ a fun game," she said, feeling a tiny bit of the stress leave.

    While Scythia sulked off the court, one of Shigeru's friends picked up a ball and tried to hit Kat, but she back flipped over the throw, showing off not even a sixteenth of her superhuman strength as she effortlessly dodged it. Everyone continued to stare in awe, and finally Maito moved, a smile forming on his face. "I knew I could count on you," he affirmed.

    "Thanks," Kat replied. "So, we ready to kick butt?"

    "Absolutely!" Maito exclaimed.

    So the two proceeded to lead their time to a landslide victory. Maito actually surprised Kat by being pretty good in his own right, and when the next game started, Tatsu got to prove he was a good dodgeball player as well. Slowly the stress of the day began to fade, and Kat felt much better. When the class had finished three games, Coach Lao told them they had the rest of class for study hall or some sort of physical activity. The losing team sighed in relief, and some of the students glared at Kat, but she just smirked.

    "Okay, so I have to ask," Tatsu began as he, Maito, and Kat worked on their science homework. It turned out they all had the same science teacher but different periods. "With all of those flips you were doing, are you a cheerleader or a gymnast?"

    "Neither," Kat answered. "I'm a dancer and a martial artist."

    The boys stared at her. "Damn," Tatsu finally said.

    "No wonder you're so strong," Maito realized. "Wait, you're the girl Yuki talks about."

    "You know Yuki?" Kat asked.

    "We're in the same art class," he informed. "But he talks about you quite a bit. I once asked if he had a crush on you because he talked about you so often. He said that would be like crushing on his sister."

    Kat laughed. "Yeah, and besides, Mitsumi would kill me," she added. "Even if she denies she would."

    That got the boys laughing as well. "It's kind of cool that you guys are close enough to feel like siblings," Tatsu commented. "I mean, Mai is my best friend, sure, but he's also my cousin."

    "Wow." Kat looked from one teen to the other. "You don't look that similar."

    "Neither do our dads," they replied.

    They worked until the school day ended, and after they went to their respective locker rooms to change, they made their way to the entrance. "Hey, Kat!" The three stopped at Yuki's call, and they turned around to see he and Mitsumi run up to them. "Is it okay if we go with you?" he hoped. "Turns out Mitsumi's mom can't pick us up, either."

    "Of course," she told him. Yuki smiled.

    "Actually, could we get a ride, too?" Tatsu piped up. His cousin elbowed him for his rudeness, but Kat just giggled.

    "I don't see why not," she stated. _Although that does mean I can't fly to Capsule Corp.,_ she thought as she pulled out her phone to text Bulma. _With Yuki and Mitsumi I probably could, even in the rain. But with them as well? Besides, I don't feel like a bunch of questions... Well, I can deal with questions about Bulma._ It took her only a few seconds to explain everything to Bulma, and not long after Kat had sent the message the scientist replied back.

    _Good,_ the text read. _I don't want you flying while there's lightning, anyway._

    She stared at her phone, and after a few seconds she blinked. "I didn't even think about lightning," she muttered under her breath.

    It took about ten minutes for Bulma to arrive, and the five kids sprinted through the pounding rain to reach her van. Kat, Yuki, and Mitsumi jumped right in, but the cousins were stilled from awe. "Come on, you two, you'll catch a cold!" the woman directed. Maito and Tatsu scrambled inside, and once the door was closed, Bulma turned to look at them. "So where am I heading, boys?"

    Unsurprisingly, it took them a while to answer. Then they slowly looked at Kat, who was smiling brightly. " _How_?" Tatsu tried to exclaim but ended up squeaking.

    "I got lucky," Kat responded.

    "Yeah...lucky," Maito repeated.

    After the boys finally told Bulma where to go, she drove off, and Kat began to tell the woman about her day. Maito watched the two interact, and after a while he tapped Yuki's shoulder. The green haired boy stopped teasing Mitsumi and looked at him. "What's up?" he prompted while the brown haired girl huffed under her breath.

    "Is she Kat's mom?" Maito questioned, almost afraid of the answer.

    Yuki shook his head. "But it's nice to see an adult get along with her so well," he whispered. The teen thought about bringing up Vegeta but then decided against it, as if he would appear the moment after he said anything to blast him or something.

    "So, what about her mom?" Yuki just shrugged to his question, also having a feeling that Kat wouldn't want him to divulge anything, even if Maito was his friend and a trustworthy one to boot. Thankfully, Maito was also an understanding friend, so he didn't pry any farther.

    The cousins were dropped off, and they thanked Bulma, still in awe. When they closed the door and ran off, Mitsumi sighed. "They're nice, but I wanted Kat to fly us," she voiced.

    "Absolutely not!" Bulma denied as she began driving to Capsule Corp. "I already told Kat I didn't want her flying on her own, but with you two? Not with all of this lightning. I wouldn't want any of you walking, either. You could catch cold, or - from the reports I've been hearing - you could walk right over a sinkhole and-"

    "DODGE!" Yuki suddenly cried.

    Bulma was confused but instantly noticed a sinkhole that she was rapidly approaching. She swerved out of the way, and as they passed by it everyone fell silent. "See...like that," the woman finally managed.

    With the danger behind them, the rest of the ride was incident-free, and in no time they arrived at the large building. Bulma pulled into the garage, allowing the group to get out without getting wet. "Oh good, you're all here!" Mrs. Brief greeted as they entered the house. The kids smiled in return. "It must have cold outside; would you three like hot chocolate? I just finished making cookies, too."

    "Mitsumi, make a break for it before Kat eats all of them!" Yuki directed before he took off. Mitsumi grinned and sprinted after him. 

    "Jerks, get back here!" Kat demanded, and then she shot off. Of course, she ended up making it to the kitchen table before them, and they look defeated when they eventually made it. "Besides, a race with me ends up like this."

    "It's not fair; you should be restricted from flying and super speed in races," Mitsumi complained. Kat just smirked and grabbed a sugar cookie.

    As they waited for their hot chocolates to cool a tad, Vegeta walked into the kitchen. "You're here," he noted. Kat nodded, still in the middle of a bite. The Saiyan took his own baked good. "Finish your homework and then we'll train." With that he left.

    Kat tried to not look bothered, but she couldn't help the small frown. Usually, the girl didn't do her homework at Capsule Corp. Maybe there were a couple times she asked one or two questions because obviously Bulma would know science, but she always did her homework at home. Lately, though, Vegeta had been making her finish before they began training, which meant there was less time for the latter. Kat had a nagging suspicion it had something to do with the fight with Nappa, and either Vegeta wanted to discourage her or he was slipping back into the same mood that he had after the Cell Games.

    Either way, Kat didn't have enough proof or any reason to call him out on what could have been her own paranoia.

    However, while the kids worked on their homework, Yuki voiced his own suspicion. "Hey Kat, do you think Vegeta's trying to discourage you from training?" he asked.

    "I'm not sure," Kat admitted. 

    "I don't think so," Bulma said, butting into the conversation as she walked over to the kitchen table. "Your first duty is school, and unlike Goku, Vegeta actually values education."

    "Yeah, I guess," the young fighter muttered. 

    Soon Mitsumi's mother came by, and all three of them waved before they took off. Kat stayed behind, almost done with her History essay. "You sure are taking a while," Vegeta stated as he walked in again.

    "Oh...sorry," Kat responded. "I can stop now, though; I'm almost done, and it's not due until late next week."

    Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you should just finish it," he advised.

    "No, I'm serious." She jumped out of her chair. "Come on, let's go train already. We could even go outside-"

    "I already said no flying, Kat," Bulma interrupted. 

    "But there isn't any lightning anymore," the girl countered. "And even if it is, it'll just be an extreme case of dodgeball."

    "Dodgeball?" Vegeta repeated, not knowing about the game.

    His student turned to him and nodded. "It's a game where you split into two teams and try to avoid getting hit by dodgeballs," she explained.

    He pictured the game in his head, and then he formed a wicked smirk. "I have something that sounds more like an extreme case of dodgeball," he brought up.

    Bulma huffed. "Seriously, Vegeta, don't bring out the machines," she pleaded. "You'll just break them like usual."

    "She's going to be the only one using them," Vegeta informed. 

    Kat blinked. "Wait...what?"

    "You'll see," was all he said.

    The three made their way to the gravity room, and along the way Bulma picked up her two-year-old son, who seemed eager to join them. They also stopped by Bulma's lab, where the woman picked up a capsule. When they reached their destination, Bulma opened up the capsule, releasing multiple sphere-like machines into the room. Then, after handing the small boy to Kat, Bulma punched in a few commands and got them floating in the air. "So, what do I do with these?" Kat inquired.

    "Fire a small energy blast at one of them, and it'll bounce to another machine," Vegeta instructed. "Your objective is to dodge the blast while it continues to bounce off of them." Kat nodded in understanding, liking the sound of this game.

    "Just please don't break them," Bulma sighed. "I hate fixing these things."

    "Why, because Vegeta made you fix them all the time?" Kat guessed.

    " _All_ the time," the woman confirmed. Then she took her son back and smirked. "Of course, he couldn't resist my charm because of it."

    "We sure it isn't the other way around?" Vegeta teased. Bulma nudged his shoulder, and Kat giggled lightly. "We'll be in the control room, and I'll set the gravity in there. Once the gravity is on you can start." Again she nodded, and she walked into the room, closing the door behind her. The machines beeped, signifying they were ready to start at any time. "Kat, are you ready?"

    "You bet," she answered to his voice over the intercom.

    "You're going to start out at Level 1," Vegeta informed.

    "Level 1?" Kat repeated, miffed.

    "Kat, don't argue," Bulma ordered. "You have more common sense than Vegeta; I expect you to use it."

    The girl huffed. " _Yes_ , Bulma," she reluctantly agreed.

    "No attitude," Vegeta added. "You're already at 55 times gravity, so let's not push it." Kat nodded a third time. "Speaking of gravity, I'm going to start it up in a few seconds. Prepare yourself."

    She waited until the beeping became a steady hum, and then the machines flashed a light. "Okay, a small energy blast..." Kat created one that was just a tad smaller than a dodgeball. Then she fired at the machine in front of her, which sent the ball to the left at another machine. It fired the blast at Kat, who quickly jumped but then had to duck when the energy came back. The "game" went on for a while, and Kat was thoroughly enjoying it. She wished the ball would move a tad faster, but she supposed that was because she was at Level 1. _If only I could make the game more interesting..._

    Then she had an idea. Once again she fired, and now there were two blasts out in play. "Kat, seriously!" Bulma cried.

    "Oh come on, Bulma, I'll be fine," Kat assured. "Besides, they're both going slow."

    "But still..."

    "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

    "Go, Ka, go!" Trunks suddenly chimed in. Kat smiled.

    Seeing as there was no way of stopping her, Bulma conceded defeat. With (semi) permission in hand, Kat dodged the blasts, getting increasingly cocky and fancy as she went along. Neither of the adults liked her attitude towards the situation all that much, but Trunks was getting a huge kick watching the girl twirl through the air like a breakdancer.

    Unfortunately, while all of them had thought about what would happen if Kat hit one of the balls, they didn't account for what would happen if the balls hit each other. 

    They collided with each other, creating a small explosion and sending Kat spiraling through the air. She crashed into the wall violently, and the adults flinched. Immediately Vegeta turned off the gravity, and they made their way to the room as quickly as possible. Bulma stayed in the doorway while Vegeta ran up to Kat, who had since fallen and collapsed onto the floor. He began shaking her a bit. "Kat? Kat, get up, damn it!" he demanded.

    Kat groaned a little and slowly sat up. By that time the gravity was completely off, so Bulma ran to her side as well. "Kat, are you okay?"

    Before the girl answered, she shook herself out, and then she smiled at both adults. "Of course," she replied. "Just caught me off guard, that's all." Trunks laughed and clapped his hands, and Kat was about to join in, but Vegeta stopped them both.

    "You shouldn't encourage him!" he snapped. They both looked at him. " _This_ is why Bulma didn't want you firing two shots at once, and you're just going to laugh it off?!"

    "Vegeta, it's just a wall," Kat pointed out. "After Nappa, I can survive just about anything."

    "Okay, fine, so it's just a wall," Bulma stated. "But what if the blasts had hit you?"

    "Then it wouldn't have mattered," the girl answered. "They were both weak. Even if they had hit me in the face, nothing would have happened." The adults still looked like they were going to argue. "Seriously, I'm fine. Look at me, am I hurt? We can say 'what if' all we want, but it didn't happen, so there." Then she stretched. "The only consequence I can think of is that my muscles are a little stiff." Trunks laughed again, and Bulma smiled softly.

    "You're right," she said. "I just wish you'd be a tad more careful. Something could always happen, you know." Kat nodded. "And I think I have an idea on how to loosen up your muscles. Go upstairs and change into a swim suit; we can go into the indoor hot tub."

    The girl beamed. "This is why I bring some stuff here," she commented before she sprang up and dashed off.

    Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the blue haired woman. "You're _rewarding_ her?" he questioned.

    "I understand you worry about her," Bulma stated. Vegeta huffed but didn't even try to counter. "I do, too. But that's why you teach her, right? So she gets stronger and can avoid danger?" He breathed out a little, still not looking completely convinced, so Bulma smiled softly. "Come on, join us. Relax a little. I think it'll help."

    At first he looked like he was going to decline, but then he sighed. "Fine, I'll join."

    Bulma smiled bigger. "Good!"

    Everyone changed, with Kat being done first. She dashed down to the first floor and eagerly hopped in, sighing in relief as her body settled into the warm water. While it could have been hotter, Bulma usually kept the temperature at a level where Trunks could stand it if he was to join. Kat was glad for the temperature, though; she wasn't a huge fan of the hot setting because it always made her uncomfortable and she constantly got in and out of the hot tub. 

    But Kat loved the indoor hot tub for another reason along with the temperature: there were wall-sized windows. Sure that would be bad if there were Peeping Toms, but Kat couldn't bring herself to worry. Maybe if the room faced the street, but no. It looked into the backyard, where the street couldn't be seen for what felt like _miles_  (okay, not really, but still, Capsule Corp. had a damn big backyard!). On that day, that meant Kat could not only enjoy the hot tub water but also the rain steadily coming down on the world outside.

    "I thought you would be the first one here," Bulma voiced as she walked in, Trunks still in her arms. Kat smiled as the woman climbed in and sat down across from her. "Does it feel good?"

    "Yeah!" Trunks exclaimed.

    "He took the word right out of my mouth," Kat giggled. Vegeta entered the room and immediately sank into the water so that neither female could say anything about his scars. Well, more than they already had.

    "It's still raining," he noted.

    Kat nodded. "That's why we played dodgeball today," she explained. "It would have been impossible to get anything done."

    "And it would have been impossible to get you back inside," Vegeta commented. Kat rolled her eyes and nudged him, to which he poked her side. She yelped and jumped up, and Vegeta smirked. "Ah, you're ticklish."

    "Sh-shut up!" She quickly backed away from him, but then Bulma tickled her as well, causing Kat to jump away from her. "Don't do that!"

    "But it's so fun," the woman countered with a giggle. Kat tried to get out of the water, but Vegeta grabbed her arm and yanked her back in, causing her to be submerged for a few seconds. She came back up with clumps of hair in her eyes. Annoyed, Kat brushed them back. "You know, maybe you should wear hair clips."

    "What is with you two and hair cli-APS!" For the third time Kat jumped as she was tickled once more. She whipped around to find Vegeta with a smirking grin, and she narrowed her eyes before lunging at him, but he just simply caught her wrists with amusement. "I bet you're ticklish, too!" Kat accused with her canines showing. "How about you stop being a coward and let's test that theory!"

    He chuckled and spun her around, grasping both of her wrists in one hand. "How about instead I teach why you should have listened to us," he responded, and then he started tickling her mercilessly. Kat couldn't hold back gut-busting laughter as he did, and Bulma and Trunks laughed at her thrashing. "Call for mercy," he challenged after a while. Since she couldn't respond verbally, she shook her head and tugged against his hold to try and break free. He grinned. "You'd get out faster if you call for mercy."

    She resisted for as long as she could, but it didn't last long at all. "M-M- _MERCY_!" she gasped. So Vegeta gave it to her, and unconsciously - as her laughter very slowly died - Kat swam to a spot next to him. Not that any of them noticed. 

   They just laughed while it softly rained. 


	15. Because I Do

**A/N: Okay, so,** **_apparently_ ** **there's a Saiyan in** **_Super_ ** **from Universe 6 that's named Kyabe.** **_Fuck_** **, okay?! I worked** **_hard_ ** **on thinking of that vegetable pun for Queen Kyabe's name, and it turns out,** **_it already exists!_ ** **Fuck you, Toriyama. Just... *long exasperated sigh here***  

**Well, at least people from different universes aren't related to each other, because that would just fuck up everything.**

**Oh, since I'm ranting about it, I'm not touching** **_Super_ ** **. I know, it's technically canon, but I like the movies better, so...yeah. I'm not touching GT either. Because that would mean I have to rewatch it.**

**Never.**

**Will** **_never_ ** **do that again.** **_EVER_ ** **.**

* * *

Bulma was on the couch, clenching the blanket like it was her damn life line and holding her breath in excitement until she was sure her face was a darker shade of blue than her hair. At one point in her life, she mocked women who did this and said she would never, _ever_ do the same thing, but...

Well, never say never, right?

She was so distracted by what was in front of her she didn't notice Vegeta coming down the stairs to get something from the fridge, and he was so focused on curbing his hunger he didn't notice her on the couch. So it came at no surprise that she didn't restrict herself when she let out a gigantic squeal and that he tripped over his own feet when she did. "Woman, what the hell was that for?!" he demanded.

"Oh, sorry," she replied, not taking her eyes off what was in front of her. "I was just watching TV."

"And that made it necessary to act like a five-year-old?" he stated dryly and unamused.

"It's just-" Suddenly she let out another loud squeal, catching Vegeta off a second time. "SHE SAID YES!"

If Vegeta wasn't confused and agitated before, he was now. " _What_ are you talking about?" he hissed.

"Well, they've been dancing around the issue for like _fifty_ episodes, and-"

"Suddenly I have lost interest," he cut in, realizing she was talking about that soap opera (at least, that's what Kat called it; Vegeta called it a thing) she wouldn't shut up about.

"What, they're getting married!" she pointed out excitedly. Vegeta rolled his eyes and went back to getting something to eat. "Weddings just make me so happy, you know? Oh right, you wouldn't. I'm pretty sure you haven't been to one, and maybe you don't even know what that is anyway. But yeah, they make me happy. I've thought about them ever since I was little - I know, _crazy_ right? Me, the scientific beauty fantasizing about weddings. I always _did_ want one, and-"

Vegeta stopped listening, but for once not because she was endlessly rambling. He even stopped fumbling around the fridge as her last sentence rang in his head.

Despite what she thought, he did know what a wedding was...or at least what was supposed to happen at one. He knew it didn't have anything to do with food... Bad joking aside, he knew that was where humans got married, which he paralleled to the Saiyan mating process (which was unwanted information from Nappa), only way more fickle. Of course, he also knew most human women tended to talk and dream about such things, and he really should have known Bulma did too, but it never really occurred to him that she did.

Then Vegeta shook his head. Why should he care? It wasn't his problem. Even though he did lo- ... _Like, you LIKE,_ he corrected. Even though he did... _like_ her that didn't mean it was something he had to take care of.

Right?

"Hey, Vegeta? Hey, Vegeta!" The man snapped out of his thoughts. Wait, when had Kat arrived? And when had they gone into the gravity room? "Finally you're back on Earth!" she sighed. "Where were you?"

He waved his hand. "Doesn't matter," he told her.

"No, you don't get to pull that card," Kat snapped. "If I have to tell you what goes on in my head when it's in the clouds then so do you."

Of course that would be her counter. "Whatever," Vegeta huffed. "It's something Bulma said earlier, but it doesn't really matter."

"Then why are you thinking so hard about it?" the girl questioned. "No one thinks that hard about nothing, especially you."

Damn, why did she have to be so persistent in everything? "Look, it just had to deal with that thing she watches," Vegeta added.

"You mean that soap opera," Kat clarified. She tilted her head in confused thought. "But hold on; you don't care for anything Bulma has to say about the soap opera, so what could possibly..." She thought about any soap opera tropes that could possibly link to Vegeta in any way, and one stuck to her mind. "Bulma wants you two to actually get married?"

What the hell?! How did she guess that so easily?! "She didn't say that," he said, which was actually true. Bulma really said anything about them specifically...unless it was during the time he was off in who-knows-where.

"Either she did, and you're lying, or she said something that made you _think_ that's what she might want," Kat inferred.

"It was offhand during one of her ramblings- look this doesn't matter. Why are we still talking about this?"

"Because it's obviously gotten to you, Vegeta," Kat pointed out. "And really, if it's got you that worked up, just talk to her about it."

Di-did the really just... "No, are you crazy?!" he exclaimed.

"Okay, fine, how about _we_ talk about it?"

"That's even worse!"

"Well, if you don't want to talk about it with her and you don't want to talk about it with me, you're going to keep being in this infinite loop of nothing happening, and I'm pretty sure you don't want that because it's going to frustrate you until you do something about it, and by that time you might not be thinking rationally because you're so frustrated."

Why did she have to know him so well? Then again, she probably asked the same question, only reversed. Still... "No, drop it," he ordered.

Kat pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Fine, whatever, be difficult," she huffed. "There is a third option."

"There is?" he asked. "What is it?"

"Nope, you don't get to know. You don't want to talk, then neither do I." Vegeta huffed. "Okay, sorry, we should get back to training." Finally, she was talking sense. He watched as she got into a stance, and then her head perked up. "Oh wait, before we start again, can I use the bathroom? I've been meaning to go, but I just never did."

There was this feeling that told him not to let her go, but he also had enough of her for a few minutes. "Just make it quick," he permitted. She nodded and quickly made her way out of the room. But as the door closed, he couldn't shake the feeling like something wasn't right. After about ten seconds, he figured it out.

And he felt absolutely, completely, supremely, and _utterly_ stupid.

As fast as he could possibly fly, he made his way to the first floor, just as Kat was saying, "See, there's something-" Of course, he didn't let her finish. He almost barreled into her as he skidded to a stop and grabbed her arm. Bulma seemed very confused but didn't get the chance to voice a question as the Saiyan dragged Kat back to the gravity room at blinding speeds. When they were back inside, Kat smirked knowingly.

Perhaps he _was_ teaching her too well.

"You win," he grunted. "Happy?"

"Very," she replied. "So..."

"Like I said, it was just in one of her ramblings, I don't know if she _actually_ wants it," Vegeta explained.

"But you'd think it would make her happy?" Kat inquired with a question that border lined a statement.

Seriously, she could be so annoying sometimes. "Whatever," he grumbled.

"I'll take that as a yes." The man growled. "Well, there are actually two options here, too. The first option is romantic but most likely wishful thinking: a traditional wedding with an alter and vows and blah, blah blah." Now Vegeta smirked; she was talking sense again. "The second option is way more boring and tedious but more likely on what will happen: going to a government building and getting a marriage certificate."

"That's it?" Vegeta asked, surprised.

"That's it," she confirmed. "Although, if you want, you could still take her to a dinner or something else romantic _before_ you get the certificate. Not that you would want to, but you could-"

"No," the Saiyan interrupted. "No... That sounds good."

Kat smiled. "So, what would you want to do?"

For a while, he didn't answer because he was busy thinking about his answer. Finally, he looked at her. "Surprise me," Vegeta decided.

Clearly that was unexpected since she did a double take. "What?"

"Surprise me," he repeated. "I'm not good at this sort of thing, so I'm trusting you. Whatever you end up planning will be far better than anything I could think of."

The girl stared at him with surprise of her own, and then she began to ponder. "Well, okay," she agreed. "But I don't think I can do all of it on my own." That was a little nerve wracking, but he trusted her and whoever else she had in mind. "Mitsumi is pretty good with this stuff, so I can ask her." Then she stared at him directly in the eye. "I promise that she and I will be the only ones who know, and neither of us will tell."

"I trust you," he stated.

She smiled again. "Thank you. And this won't be a waste of your time, I guarantee."

"It better not be," he warned.

But, strangely, he had a feeling it wouldn't be a waste in the slightest.

...

Unfortunately, things could _never_ go as planned.

It started out easily enough. Kat talked to Mitsumi about the idea, and of course her best friend was on board. They both agreed to keep it simple with a very nice dinner. The couple could decide on when they got the certificate. For a few minutes the two argued on something that would be very special if it happened, but in the end they agreed that was something for Vegeta to decide if he wanted to do.

That wasn't the problem, though.

What the girls failed to notice while they talked was that Yuki and Gohan were eavesdropping.

See, the girls had talked about the whole plan in Mitsumi's backyard. It was a beautiful spring day; why _not_ sit outside? Knowing that's what his friends would do, Yuki forego the front door, which meant Mitsumi's older sister couldn't warn them. With his Saiyan hearing, Gohan heard "Vegeta" and "marriage". Against his better judgment, he told the green haired boy, and Yuki decided to eavesdrop.

_Because that's_ _ **exactly**_ _how I want to start_ _ **my**_ _Spring Break,_ Gohan thought. _By_ _spying on my friends._

At the same time, though, it gave him his own ideas. Remembering Yuki once said his dad owned a restaurant, Gohan brought it up, and the boys quietly ran off to the family business. Luckily, Yuki's dad was there, and they got to tell the man their idea. He gave them the okay with a smile.

Then Yuki, being the devil he was, called the girls and told them what he and Gohan had done. Kat had a _huge_ fit and swore them both to _complete_ secrecy.

_However_ , while Yuki was on the phone, Yamcha was walking by, and _he_ overheard everything unnoticed. He _needed_ to tell someone, so he ran off and flew towards Kame House. Master Roshi was asleep on his lounge chair, but Krillin was reading. The bald man looked up as his friend descended, and then Yamcha began to explain what he had heard. By the end Krillin's eyes were wide, but after he got over his surprise he scolded the former bandit for spilling clearly classified information. He then made Yamcha swear to keep his mouth shut, and Yamcha flew off, marginally satisfied.

The next day, while the four kids scrambled around trying to figure out schedules discreetly, Krillin flew towards the Son household. Chi-Chi needed some help, but of course she had promised her son could have a week of fun, and it wasn't like Krillin had anything better to do. Since she didn't have anything better to do, either, and she needed to learn how to interact with people again, Krillin's girlfriend 18 joined him.

Still annoyed at Yamcha, the bald man grumbled to himself while they helped with outside chores. Now 18 overheard, and she began to ask for details. He tried to deny her, but after about fives minutes the blonde haired woman strong-armed him into talking about it. Not wanting her to go back into her reclusive shell, Krillin explained.

Chi-Chi came outside at the tail end of the conversation, and she too asked what it was about. The couple tried to say no, but then _she_ strong-armed both of them, _especially_ Krillin. So with a sigh he explained once more, and after it was all done Chi-Chi immediately went to call Bulma to see if it was true. The couple practically pounced on her, saying that it was a surprise for the scientist, and that she could absolutely not know.

When Gohan came home that afternoon, Chi-Chi told him about the plan, and the boy paled. He instantly called Kat and told her...

And all of the Z Warriors felt her ki spike in complete and total rage.

" _YUUUUUUKIIIIIIIIII!_ "

...

"From now on, whenever I plan something, I'm going to look over my shoulder like a nervous rabbit."

Gohan looked guilty. "Look, Kat, I said I was sorry," he apologized for the fifth time in the hour.

Kat huffed. "You better," she grumbled. "This was only supposed to be between them, Mitsumi, and I, and now I'm afraid that by tomorrow the whole damn planet's going to know."

"Hey, everyone swore they wouldn't say a word," Gohan pointed out. "With your explosion in power yesterday, I don't think anyone is going to argue."

"I know, but still..." They both sighed and continued their leisurely flight towards Capsule Corp. "Do you think Bulma's actually going to like this?"

The half-breed smiled. "Of course she will," he assured. "Knowing that Vegeta is the one who started this whole thing is going to make her happy to begin with." Kat nodded. "So...do _you_ ever think about a wedding for you?"

His friend stared at him, and then she looked straight ahead as she chuckled quietly. "What wedding?" she stated. "I'm never going to have one."

"You don't want to get married?" Gohan asked.

"No, I do, but no one's going to want-" Suddenly Gohan picked up speed and stopped in front of her, forcing Kat to stop and look into his very serious black eyes.

"Were you seriously about to say what I think you were going to say?" he questioned.

"Well, it's just-"

"Kat we're, what, eleven? You don't even _need_ a date right now. But even then, a few jerks who don't see how amazing you are shouldn't make you think you're never going to get married."

She blushed at his kind words. "Gohan... Still...I don't-"

"When you get married, I promise I will be right by your side and I _will_ tell you 'I told you so'."

Still blushing, she rolled her eyes. "You're not going to remember," she said. "Let's say it happens ten years from now, which is probably the earliest it would happen. There's going to be so much between now and then you're not going to remember to say that."

He smirked challengingly. "Try me." Then he smiled. "Now come on. You don't want to be late, and Bulma's expecting me soon." Kat smiled as well and nodded, and the two took off again. "And by the way, don't ever say anything like this in front of me again, understand? I don't want to hear any of that crap."

The girl giggled. "Okay, I promise," she told him.

They made it to the building, and Gohan went to help Bulma with some heavy lifting. Kat, after finishing a little bit of her homework, went to train with Vegeta and also to explain the plan (and she looked over her shoulder as she did, which slightly confused the man). When he heard the plan, he was okay with it. Then Kat offered up the little idea she and Mitsumi had, and to that he raised an eyebrow. "Why should I?" he inquired.

"It would be extra nice," she pointed out. "I mean, if you really don't want to, you don't have to."

Vegeta thought about it, and then he shrugged. "Why not," he decided. "It doesn't sound too difficult."

_Yeah, let's just hope,_ Kat grimaced. "Okay, Mitsumi and I can get money for you," she offered.

"Why don't we just ask Bulma?"

Kat raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I don't think so, mister," she denied. "We're getting money, and that's that."

He shrugged again. "Alright, whatever."

Of course, the girls had to figure out how to _get_ enough money. They had to get around 70,000 zeni, and that wasn't going to be easy. Luckily, Gohan had another idea. All four kids went back to Yuki's dad's restaurant, and the owner agreed to let them work as part-time busboys...and girls. "We were short handed, anyway," the man reasoned.

So for the rest of the week, the four kids worked their asses off, impressing some of the regular workers. Some customers complained that they shouldn't have been working because they were under the age of 14, but then the kids would shut them up by working harder than they already were, and they were already working harder than the customers had seen some adults work. Some customers ended up giving them tips for their hard work, which helped them out greatly.

After five days of working and being more than a fourth of the way towards their goal, Yuki's dad came up with another idea, which was a pretty good idea but also added another week of work. The kids worked like crazy, and they even combined babysitting money and allowances. By the end of two weeks and half of a third, they had enough and then some, and the kids cheered in accomplishment before flopping onto their backs in exhaustion. "I swear, if Bulma isn't happy, I will kill someone," Mitsumi groaned.

Money in hand, Kat told Vegeta she and Mitsumi were going to go and get what they had worked for, but surprisingly he wanted to join them. Hearing that, the brown haired girl decided to opt out, reasoning that there would be too many cooks in the kitchen. So student and teacher went to their destination together.

Their excursion was a resounding success...much to Kat's amazement.

"You still have 10,000 zeni?!" the other three kids cried.

"Yeah...I do," Kat replied, just as bewildered as them. Of course, that wasn't the only thing that had her in a daze.

Yuki was the first one to collect himself. "Well, I guess I _can_ pay Uncle, then," he stated.

"Did Vegeta like the design?" Mitsumi questioned.

"He did," Kat told her. "He's just not too happy wearing something like that."

"I would be more scared if he was actually completely okay wearing it," Gohan voiced. The other three agreed.

On Friday, Vegeta's outfit was ready, and on Saturday, Kat put her plan into motion.

Bulma walked down to the second floor living room to check on how Kat's homework was coming along. "Need any help?" the woman asked.

"No," Kat said. "But Bulma, I would suggest putting on a really nice dress."

The woman tilted her head. "Why?" she questioned.

"Just trust me. Make yourself look nice, and quickly."

"Well..." She smiled. "Sure, I will. It's a good thing I just took a shower; this will go by much quicker." Then she went back upstairs to change.

About five minutes, Vegeta came downstairs, looking a little annoyed. "I hate wearing this," he commented.

"Oh hush, you." Kat walked over to him and straightened his black leather jacket. Then she looked him over. He was wearing a long sleeved maroon shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots. The girl smiled. "Good. Bulma will really like this."

"All of this for her," he huffed. "She better like it."

"Trust me, you're not the only one who hopes she likes tonight," Kat sighed.

They sat on the couch and waited for about 15 minutes before Bulma walked back down. She wore a long steel blue dress, and the diamond-like bead strap wound around her neck. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she had silver earrings that were about half an inch. She looked very beautiful, and she smiled when she saw the two. "Alright, what's this about?" she inquired.

"You and Vegeta are going out to dinner," Kat announced.

She raised an eyebrow but still had her smile. "And how did you manage to convince him to play along?"

Kat shrugged and then jumped off the couch. "Well, since both of you are ready, go downstairs and get going," she directed.

Vegeta stood up after her, and Bulma smirked as he walked over. "Oo, aren't you handsome," she purred as she wrapped her arms around one of his. He adverted his eyes to avoid blushing, and Kat giggled silently. "So, where are we going?"

"Bacchus," Vegeta remembered.

"Yuki's family owns it," Kat added.

"I didn't know Yuki's family owned a restaurant," Bulma stated. "I've actually heard of that restaurant before, and I've heard good things about it. This is going to be exciting."

"Well, his dad always aims to be the best," the girl told her. Bulma gave off a big smile. "Now go on, have fun." Vegeta nodded and led his woman down to the first floor and out to the sidewalk, where Yuki's oldest brother - who thankfully was a professional chauffeur - was waiting to drive them to the restaurant. Kat watched them through the window as the car drove off, and she waited about a minute before she quickly made her own way downstairs.

Against good moral judgment, she wanted to watch the dinner unfold.

At the lowest ki she could possibly go while flying, she made her way to Bacchus, and she made it far ahead of Kei's car. Kat touched down in front of the restaurant and made her way in to find...

Damn it.

"Yuki, Mitsumi, what the hell are you doing here?" Kat grumbled.

"Same thing you're doing," Yuki countered with a grin. "Gohan's here, too."

"You said she wouldn't know that!" Gohan hissed from the back half of the restaurant.

The black haired girl let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Is there _any_ one else here?" A few seconds passed before Gohan, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Krillin, and 18 all came out of the back, and Kat let out another sigh. "Kami, guys, _why_? This is between them, why are you all here?"

"Why are you?" Yamcha pointed out.

"At least it's one as apposed to eight," Kat argued. "Look, everyone just needs to get out before-"

"They arrive?" Yuki finished. "Yeah, not happening. Kei's here."

Kat cursed under her breath before she shoved everyone into the back half. "Okay, everyone needs to stay _quiet_ ," she commanded. "Not a _word_ , understand?"

"Loud and clear, Miss Talks-a-Lot," Yamcha responded. 18 elbowed him lightly, and the man let out a small yelp, to which the group glared.

Thankfully the couple didn't hear it. In fact, they were talking to Yuki's dad, who was greeting them warmly. "Welcome, both of you," he greeted. "I'm Kazu, Yuki's father, and owner of Bacchus."

"It's very nice to meet you," Bulma replied. "Thank you for letting us in."

"If there's anyone you should be thanking, it's the kids," Kazu informed. "They worked until their fingers were numb to make sure that the restaurant was closed for the night."

"So that we're the only ones here?" the woman realized. "Well, consider me impressed."

"Kat especially," Kazu continued. "She never left until the very last minute."

"It hasn't only been here," Vegeta added. "She's been working hard to make this night as special as it can be."

Bulma looked at him with wonder. "For us?"

"Yes, but mostly for you."

The woman smiled big. "But what made her think to do that?" she pondered.

At first, Vegeta didn't want to confess. But there was a look in Kazu's eyes that made him change his mind. "I did," he confessed.

Obviously, that surprised her. "Why?"

"Well..." He thought about an answer, and then he smirked. "I'll tell you later. Trust me, it'll make sense then."

Still confused but deciding to roll with it, Bulma smiled again, and the owner led the couple to a table close to the entrance to the back half. Kat didn't know whether to be grateful - because they could hear - or completely terrified. Though, at first, there wasn't much to listen to since Kazu was only explaining the specials. The four adults had wandered off, leaving the four kids to wait around, hoping for something to happen. And after the owner got their drinks, something did.

Apparently someone hadn't read the sign that the restaurant was closed, because there was a rapping at the door, and that got everyone's (minus Chi-Chi and the other three) attention. Kazu, confused, went over and opened the door. No one heard what the man said, but they all heard the person on the other side. "What do you mean it's closed?!" she shrieked.

Kat and the other kids groaned silently. What was Scythia even doing there in the first place?

"There are other people here, it's clearly not closed!" she continued angrily.

"Sorry, miss, but this is reserved for private affairs," Kazu reported.

"The _entire_ restaurant?! Who is so full of themselves they'd reserve an entire restaurant?!"

_Pot's calling the kettle black on that one,_ the kids grumbled.

"Scythia, stop it," her dad scolded. "I'm sorry, she's been looking forward to coming here."

Kazu apologized for the inconvenience, and while he did Scythia noticed the four kids. Her eyes went wide in realization before she glared and made a face. In retaliation, the four made faces of their own, but when the adults looked like they were going to notice them, they hid behind the wall. "Man, that was close," Yuki whispered.

"Yeah, and if Mom saw I did that, things wouldn't be pretty," Gohan sighed.

"Well, we weren't caught, so that's good," Mitsumi pointed out.

"Why does she have to ruin everything?" Kat hissed.

Scythia and her father left (although the girl didn't go without voicing one more complaint), and then Kazu began to serve the couple. For a while, nothing interesting happened. Vegeta and Bulma ate in silence, but it was comfortable, not awkward. Still, the kids were getting a tad antsy for something to happen, and finally Bulma sparked a conversation. "So, what is this all about?" she asked.

Vegeta didn't exactly know how to begin. "I've...been thinking lately," he finally started. "And you know I'm not good with words, so I hope you don't take any of this the wrong way."

Bulma smiled. "Of course not," she said. "I know this isn't easy for you."

He nodded. "Lately I've been thinking about life here on Earth," he stated. "I feel...strange. It's hard to describe, really. I don't mind it, and that kind of worries me."

"Because you like being a warrior," Bulma observed. "I know, Vegeta. I know Earth is soft."

"That's the thing: it's not really bothering me anymore, and I don't know how I should really feel about that." He took a breath. "Though... I suppose tonight...is going to give my answer." The kids began to develop butterflies in their stomachs due to excitement. "Do you remember when you were watching that...thing a few weeks ago?"

She giggled. "You mean my soap opera," she noted. "I knew you didn't care for my ramblings about it, but not so much that you refuse to even acknowledge its genre."

"As you should expect," Vegeta replied, relaxing for a spilt second before feeling a bit nervous again. "Anyway, you were rambling, and something caught my attention."

"Which either made you go to Kat for answers, or she strong armed you into doing something." Bulma gave off a sly smile. "Why do I have this feeling it's the latter?"

"You strong armed him?" Krillin questioned in a quiet voice. Kat hadn't even noticed the adults began paying attention, but then she brushed the bald man off.

"Keep laughing, we'll see where that gets you," Vegeta grumbled. Bulma just giggled. "But tonight is about...well..." No one had _ever_ seen Vegeta as nervous as he was then, and finally he reached into his pocket and brought out a small box. "This. Tonight is about this."

The blue haired woman was confused for a bit, and then - with a slightly shaky hand - Vegeta put the box on the table. Bulma stared at it, and then her eyes went wide as she stared at it. "Is...is that..." And then she remembered what specific episode Vegeta had walked in on, and she gasped. "A-are you asking me if-" She couldn't finish her question, and instead she reached for the box and opened it up, finding exactly what she thought she would find:

A very simple but very beautiful engagement ring.

"Vegeta, this... I can't... You want us..." Not once had anyone ever seen Bulma at a loss for words as much as this, and everyone could see her teal eyes sparkling. Chi-Chi and Yamcha waited for Vegeta to ask the question, but no one else held him to that typical standard, not even Bulma, who smiled bigger than anyone had ever seen her. "Yes, Vegeta, yes I..." She looked at the ring again, and then she slipped it on, admiring its luster. Then she looked back at her Saiyan Prince. "I'll marry you." The Saiyan's shoulders stopped being tense (he hadn't even realized they had been), and the kids looked at each other and beamed.

Mission Accomplished, without a single hiccup-

"Alright, you four, you can come out now," Vegeta ordered.

Their eyes went wide as they watched Vegeta turn his head and smirk. Bulma did, too, and they realized the couple had known for a very long time. Realizing it wouldn't matter anymore, they stepped out, still bewildered and also a tad guilty. " _How_?" Mitsumi finally squeaked.

"Maybe you shouldn't be making faces at people," Bulma teased. Not caring that she would be discovered, Chi-Chi slapped all of them upside the head.

"We're sorry!" they cried. "But Scythia deserved it!"

Bulma giggled as she stood up. "Well, I'm glad you guys are here," she revealed. She walked over to them. "I really have to thank all of you. This night is one I don't think I'll be forgetting anytime soon." Bulma adjusted the ring on her finger. "Especially this."

"Whoa, hold up," Yuki piped up. "We got the money-"

"But the ring isn't from us," Gohan continued.

"Someone's being humble," Mitsumi revealed.

"Which is surprising, considering that's not usually the case," Kat added.

It clicked in everyone else's head, and Bulma looked at Vegeta, who had joined them. "You... _you_ got it?" she realized.

"But Kat, didn't you go with him?" Yamcha questioned.

"Yes, and clearly I didn't know what I was doing," Kat told him. "But Vegeta did." The adults were amazed, and then Bulma smiled. She leaned over and whispered something in Vegeta's ear, and he smirked. "Alright, everyone, we've bugged them enough. Let's go." Yamcha wanted to say something, but 18 began to push him out of the restaurant, and everyone followed. Kat was about to follow, but Bulma held her back.

"Thank you," she said. Kat smiled. "I'll make sure to make it up to you on your wedding day."

Now Kat blushed. "That's not necessary, Bulma," she insisted. "Besides, it's probably not- _OW_ , Gohan, that's my _hair_!"

"Then don't say those things!" he countered as he continued to drag her. "I've already told you this."

Again Bulma giggled as she watched Kat protest against his grip. "Well, he's not wrong," she voiced after everyone had left.

"That girl puts herself down too often," Kazu stated. Bulma nodded, and then she went into her purse to get her credit card. "Ms. Brief, don't worry. Everything was on the house tonight."

"No, I can't-"

"Please, it's really no trouble," the owner insisted.

"Well, if it really is no trouble..." Kazu smiled brightly, so Bulma gave up. "Then I guess we're heading home." Vegeta agreed with no words; he had said too much.

Though, when the two walked outside, Vegeta suddenly scooped the scientist into his arms, smirked at Kei, and took to the skies. Bulma squealed at the sudden flight but quickly became comfortable. "So, that reward..." Vegeta egged on, eyeing her suggestively.

She sighed good-naturally. "I told you I would, I won't go back on my word," she promised. "But before we do, I have a few things to say." He rolled his eyes but let her continue. "First, we're getting the certificate tomorrow, and you _are_ coming with me. If you refuse, I will _not_ hesitate in forcing you into a traditional wedding." He nodded; he had been planning on joining her, anyway. "Second...why do you want to marry me?"

He slowed to a stop, and he looked into her eyes. "Well, I..." Again, he was on a topic where words always failed him, so it took him a while to figure out how he wanted to phrase it. "Because I... I li-" Bulma didn't rush him, knowing this was a very hard thing for him to do, actually borderline impossible. "I do," he finally answered, foregoing his original plan. But the woman didn't seem to mind, and she smiled warmly. After a few seconds, Vegeta offered up a tiny smirk, and he began flying again. As he did, another answer flashed through his mind. He sighed internally. _Curse the mediocrity of Earth life,_ he thought.

Yet at the same time...he didn't seem to care anymore.

_Because I love you._


	16. Just Talking Normal

18 eyed her boyfriend, whose eyes were darting from one person to another as they walked down the sidewalk. It was strange to see; she thought _she_ would be doing that. "What's up?" she asked.

"You haven't noticed?" Krillin replied, a slight edge in his tone. "Every man we've passed has been staring at you or glaring at me." Then the annoyance and jealously in his eyes faded, and he slumped his shoulders. "Some of them look like they're mocking me, too."

That took her by surprise; when it came to the judgment of others, Krillin had never seemed to care. Then she thought about it. The last time they had been around tons of people was the month after Nappa had attack - which at this point felt like eons when it was only six months ago - and back then Krillin was only focused on trying to get her to trust people again. Now that they were dating, maybe he was more protective and insecure. Perhaps he figured she would leave him for a "better looking man".

Whatever. Societal definitions of beauty were BS anyway.

"Just ignore them," she advised. "They're clearly insecure of themselves and need to take it out on someone."

Krillin nodded. "Sorry," he stated. "I don't know what's gotten into me lately." 18 stared at him, and then, hoping it would help, she took his hand. He looked up at her, and after a few seconds they smiled at each other.

Last April had been quiet the surprise. Krillin had painstakingly tracked down the converted blonde woman to offer to be her friend. At first, 18 rejected the idea; she accused him of wanting nothing more than her body. But he kept coming back to the nature preserve her brother now called home, always with a genuine smile on his face. After two weeks of pestering, 18 had finally caved in, and Krillin began to show her how to be human again, even if she could never physically do it.

At first, it had been difficult. First off, as Krillin was surprised to learn, 18's childhood had never been the best. So bad memories would pop up every now and then as the short man proceeded to help her interact with the world. Second off, despite having fought Dr. Gero's orders since the crazy scientist found her, his idea of destroying the populace would occasionally pop into her brain. Luckily, her new friend was quick to see the signs and would find a good excuse to get them out of any situation. Eventually he found ways to work around both of her shortcomings and, well...

Looking back, that was probably when she began to fall in love with him.

He could be funny and goofy - sometimes even somewhat of a dork - but he was also charming and a true gentleman. He also had plenty of good ideas and could be very serious, so it wasn't like he was always a jokester. Never once did he ever brush off her problems as little things that were nothing to worry about, but he also didn't let either of them linger on them for long. He was kind, charismatic, witty, and just all around a good guy.

But 18 denied her feelings for a long time, especially when Nappa came back.

For whatever reason, Krillin tried to hide the Saiyan's return, and when she finally coaxed the story out of him, once he was done he refused her request to help. Of course, she got mad at him and pointed out that she was indeed stronger than him, but Krillin still told her not to come. And when he came back and told her about what happened, she yelled at him, saying that she could have helped prevent it. They argued for a good ten or twenty minutes before 17 and his wife Toshie ended up kicking them both out, and angrily Krillin and 18 separated. But about two or three weeks later the bald man came back, his head hung low, and he apologized.

18 couldn't help but forgive him.

It was hard to explain, but during those weeks 18 felt...empty. It was almost like she lost a piece of herself. Of course, she tried to hide her excitement by "begrudgingly" forgiving him, but she barely held a straight face. Despite her "cold" answer, Krillin smiled, which made it even harder for her to keep up the act.

Two days later, he took her to the city again, and before she went back home, Krillin confessed and asked her out.

As they say, the rest is history.

They had enjoyed their time together as an actual couple, since they spent it outside of cities. Three months of nature and small villages, and it was nice compared to the pervious months when they only explored cities. The first time they had been to a place with large buildings and paved roads in a while was when Vegeta proposed, and funny enough 18 realized that was the first time she saw Kat. The woman had heard about the small girl, and she didn't even get to say a word to her when they finally met.

Oh well.

Suddenly Krillin was knocked back, snapping 18 out of her thoughts. Her boyfriend groaned, but so did someone else. She looked to find (funny enough) Kat sitting on the ground as well. An open book was cover up next to her, and 18 had a feeling that was part of the problem. Kat shook out her hands and looked at Krillin with an annoyed look until she noticed who it was. "Ah, Krillin, I'm so sorry!" she apologized.

The former monk recovered and then chuckled. "It's fine, don't worry," he assured. They stood up, Kat grabbing her book in the process. "But you're usually more aware than that. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Kat said. Then she held up her book. "I was just reading this. Usually I'm better about reading and walking at the same time, but I guess I got too absorbed this time."

Krillin nodded, and then he looked at the cover. He smiled wide. "Hey, that's the book Oolong, Turtle, and I got you for your birthday," he remembered.

Kat smiled as well. "Yeah," she confirmed. "I would have read it right when you guys gave it to me, but there were some books I wanted to read before it. I'm finally getting around to it, and it's really good." She marked her place and closed the book. "California's a really weird place, by the way; I think the author tried making it as strange as possible."

"Well I'm sure if the people from California were really they'd find West City weird, too," 18 commented.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Kat laughed. "You know, I totally forgot to introduce myself the last time I saw you. I'm Kat."

"18," the woman responded. "It's good to finally know you personally."

"Same." 18 gave her a small smile. "Anyway, I guess I should leave you two alone. Maybe I'll see you later."

"Hold on, Kat," Krillin stated. "Since it's almost lunch, why don't you join us?"

The girl eyed him curiously. "Are you sure?"

Krillin looked at 18. "Would you mind if she came along?" he asked. His girlfriend thought about it, and then she nodded. "See, no problem."

"Um..." After a few seconds, Kat nodded. "Sure, why not," she agreed. "But I'm paying for my own lunch; I'm not making you guys pay for me and that's _final_."

18's boyfriend laughed. "Alright, let's go," he directed.

They went to a restaurant close by, and luckily they got in before the crowd. After the finished ordering at the counter they found a table next to the window, which 18 enjoyed. "Is there something out there?" Kat finally questioned, trying to see if there was something specific the blonde haired woman was looking at.

"No, I just like looking out windows," 18 answered. Kat nodded. "Although, looking out the windows at my brother's house is much better."

"Anything is better than a bunch of buildings," Kat pointed out.

"Yeah, even the ocean around Master Roshi's place is better," Krillin commented.

"Well duh, the ocean's sparkly."

Again Krillin laughed at her bold behavior. "True, but compared to 17's place it's not as interesting."

"My brother is a park ranger," 18 explained, "so there's pine trees, animals, a lake, and the mountain range."

"Wow, that's so cool," the girl marveled. "So he's living outdoors, communicating with nature, shooting poachers... That sounds like fun."

The woman chuckled at her description. "Well, you're kind of right about that last one," Krillin told her. "17 isn't exactly kind to poachers. I saw him in action once; he scared those guys all the way to the other side of the planet!"

"He always liked nature," 18 remembered. "There was one time I blasted a whole forest away, and if he wasn't focused on driving he would have probably snapped my neck."

"Why did you blast a whole forest?" Kat wondered.

"The shocks had given out about 15 miles back."

Kat was confused, but she didn't get to say anything since her food arrived, and the couple noticed what she had gotten. "Um, Kat, why did you get hot noodles on a hot day?" Krillin inquired. 18 had to agree with him on the hot day part; it was halfway through May, but it already felt like July.

"Because I want to," she simply responded. "It's like having ice cream on a cold day."

"Why would you do _that_?"

Both females stared at Krillin with wide eyes. "You don't?!"

His hands went up. "Jeez, okay, I'm sorry! What, is that the new, 'I don't like chocolate'?"

"If you don't like chocolate, we can't date anymore," 18 warned with a straight face. Krillin's jaw dropped, and Kat laughed.

Soon Krillin's sandwich came out along with 18's lemonade. "Are you not hungry?" Kat asked after she finished her bite.

"Since I'm converted, I almost never feel hungry, if ever," 18 informed.

"Oh, right. Um...sorry."

"Don't worry about it," the woman assured. "The more I talk about it, the more I can come to terms with it." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Krillin smile.

"Wow, I don't think I could do that," Kat confessed.

"Sure you could," 18 stated. "Anyone could. You just need time."

"I don't know, the idea of waking up one morning and being something different than what you were the day before... It just seems weird."

"Definitely," 18 agreed. "But Krillin's been reminding me it's not _what_ you are, it's _who_ you are." Her boyfriend's smile became bigger, causing 18 to smile as well. "Just because I'm a cyborg now doesn't mean I'm anyone different. It was hard to accept at first - especially when Gero was alive - but I've gotten better."

Kat nodded, and then suddenly there was a look of confusion. "Wait, cyborg?" she repeated. "I thought Gohan said you and 17 were androids. Those are two different things."

"I think Future Trunks made a mistake," Krillin hypothesized. "It's not like you can tell without being told they were human before, and...well-"

"We were orphans," the cyborg cut in, noting his nervousness. "We were delinquents, and damn good ones, too. We were never caught, so no one knew us."

The girl nodded again. "So I assume your name wasn't 18 when you were human," she voiced jokingly.

18 chuckled. "No. My name was Lazuli, and my brother was Lapis." She smiled. "Our parents were geologists. Though really, I should have been Lapis since I'm older."

"By about 30 seconds," Krillin teased. 18 rolled her eyes playfully, and Kat giggled.

"So how come you don't go back to Lazuli?" the girl questioned. "I like that name; it's pretty."

"Thank you," 18 responded. "I actually like it, too. But that's my old life. Besides, I like to see the weird looks people give me."

Krillin and Kat snickered, and they continued their lunch. 18 was actually enjoying listening to the small girl talk; she liked learning about her interests and dislikes, and she also liked learning about her training with Vegeta, which Kat kind of tried to hide (apparently still afraid _someone_ would be mad at her) but it was hard to not notice the Royal Crest necklace. Of course, 18 didn't pass up the opportunity to smugly boast how she easily defeated the Saiyan Prince and broke both of his arms. Surprisingly Kat giggled, probably because Krillin pointed out that Vegeta's ego was as big as the whole of space by that point.

"Which means he probably deserved it," Kat giggled.

This is knew what she was talking about.

But as they talked, 18 had this weird nagging suspicion in the back of her mind that told her Kat looked frighteningly familiar. She thought about it and couldn't figure out a good reason as to why she would think that. Yet even after she told herself that the feeling wouldn't go away.

Why did she seem so damn familiar?

"18?" Her boyfriend's voice snapped her out of it. "Is everything okay?"

She looked at the bald man beside her. "Yes," she replied. "Just lost in thought."

He smiled. "I should stop worrying when you do since you do it so often," he stated. 18 smiled back.

Kat was about to say something when she suddenly jumped. "Damn vibrate," she muttered.

"Are you going to pick it up?" Krillin asked.

"Do you mind if I do?" The couple shook their heads, so Kat took her phone out of her pocket, and her eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh, I totally forgot I was babysitting Goten today!" she exclaimed. "Chi-Chi's going to be so mad at me!" Immediately she answered the widow's call, and she apologized before saying she would be to her house in the blink of an eye. She ended the call and stood up. "I gotta go. It was really nice to meet you, 18."

"Likewise." The two smiled at each other, and then Kat waved to Krillin before she ran out the door and went to find a place to take to the skies undetected.

"Vegeta might not be able to keep her on her toes from time to time, but it seems Chi-Chi still has it in her," Krillin chuckled.

18 nodded absentmindedly. She was still thinking about why Kat seemed familiar. It didn't make any sense. "I have this weird feeling," she finally voiced.

Predictably, Krillin was confused. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Kat... She looks familiar somehow," the cyborg confessed.

"Familiar?" Krillin thought about it. "She doesn't seem familiar to me."

"That's exactly what I told myself," she told him. "And yet I just can't shake this inkling that she looks like someone I know."

Her boyfriend thought harder, and after a few seconds he shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe she looks like someone from that part of your past that got erased from your memory."

The converted woman shrugged. "Perhaps," she agreed, not sure if that was true. "Well, no sense in thinking about it if we're just going to keep running in circles about it." She smiled at him. "Do you still want to go to the park?"

Krillin smiled. "Sure, that sounds good." They stood up and made their way to the door, but before they walked out a young man with auburn hair came up to them.

"Hello, Ms.-"

"I'm already taken," 18 interrupted in a dry tone. The man looked at the shorter one and was about to say something when 18 continued. "Go find someone who's interested, because I'll tell you right now it's not me." With that, the couple walked out, leaving the stranger completely stunned.

"Thanks," Krillin said.

"Of course. I meant what I said when you asked me out." He beamed. "Too bad that some men are just too stubborn to understand that."

He nodded, and the two walked on for a bit in silence. "I'm proud of you, you know?" Krillin finally brought up. She looked at him, prompting him to explain. "About telling all of that to Kat. I'm glad you can feel comfortable enough to explain all of that." She smiled and tried to push down her blush. "And I agree with you, about how anyone could get used to it."

"Yep. Although, I'll say it again, it's definitely weird."

Once again he nodded, and then he grinned. "So, should we go get you an oil change before we go?"

For his dumb joke, he received a slap upside the head.

Then again, dumb jokes were the reason she fell in love with him in the first place.


	17. I'm A What?

It was just a normal Saturday training session, and since Kat was almost 12, things could definitely get more fun. She had hit 100 times gravity sometime in September, and Vegeta declared that they could start going up in intervals of 10. There was no denying she was getting stronger, and they focused on doing just that. That day was no exception.

Yep, just another normal training session.

Besides that one, _tiny_ incident.

During their usual blocking session, Vegeta caught Kat off guard and threw her to the ground face down. She was about to get up when Vegeta thwarted her attempt by pinning her down with just one foot on her lower back. "You have to be quicker than that!" he barked.

"Well sorry I wasn't expecting your boot," she grumbled as she tried to push up, only to be brought back down with slightly more pressure than before.

"Would an enemy give you more time?" he countered. "Right now, I would guarantee you'd be without a head. May I remind you at one point you almost were?" Why did he  _always_ have to bring up that fight with Nappa? It was almost a year ago by this point! "Now get up!"

She rolled her eyes and pushed against the force of his foot. "Would be easier if you weren't being such an ass about it," she mumbled. That made him push her back down once more and with even more pressure present. "Damn it, this is what I'm talking about!"

"Stop complaining!" he demanded, quickly pressing her back to make sure his point got through. But in an instant, his foot was off and he took a step back. "Wh-what the hell?"

Kat turned her head to look at him and found something strange: Vegeta seemed spooked. "What?" she questioned.

"Kat, how long have you known about your tail?" Vegeta inquired.

"Tail?" she repeated. "What tail? What are you talking about?"

Now Vegeta seemed less spooked and more agitated. "You can't possibly tell me you've gone through your _entire_ life and not _once_ seen your Saiyan tail!" he shouted.

The girl sat up, arms crossed and meeting his glare. "Or maybe it's because I'm _not_ a Saiyan, I'm _human_ ," she replied. "I don't _have_ a tail."

"Then care to explain what _that_ is?!"

She rolled her eyes once more but decided to humor him. She followed his finger to a brown...fluffy...tail. She looked at it, baffled. _Okay, Kat, don't panic,_ she told herself. _Maybe...maybe we're just both delusional from all the training we've done, and we're...somehow seeing the same thing...yeah, that's got to be it._ She thought of making it twitch to see if it was real, and then the tip did just that.

Kat flipped out.

"Tail! I have a tail!" she cried, jumping to her feet. "Who what when where why how WHAT?! Why, tail, tail, what, Vegeta, WHY DO I HAVE A TAIL?!"

Vegeta seemed to have calmed down, or at least was calmer than her. "We're getting answers," he decided. He quickly went to the machine and returned the gravity to normal. Once that was done, he snatched Kat's wrist and led her out of the room and right to Bulma, who was entertaining a three-year-old Trunks. "We need a blood test done," Vegeta stated, grabbing his wife's attention.

"Why do we need- Kat, why do you have a tail?!"

"That's why we need a blood test!" Vegeta snapped.

"Doesn't the tail kind of already prove it?" Bulma pointed out.

"Bulma, not now."

The look in his eyes meant this was serious and something to not argue over, so Bulma sighed. "Fine," she agreed. "Mom, can you watch over Trunks for a bit?"

"Of course!" she happily replied, beckoning her grandson over to her. "By the way, Kat dear, why do you look so flustered?"

Did the woman not see the sudden tail?! Before Kat could scream at her, Bulma dragged her away. "Ignore her," she sighed. "We're not going to get anywhere fast if you start shouting at her."

Kat sighed. "Fine," she agreed.

"Tail look funny!" Trunks called out. Kat growled.

The three went to a lab on the fourth floor that Kat had never known about, and Bulma quickly took a sample from the newly discovered Saiyan. Then she placed it in a tube and began running the test. The anticipation was making Kat nervous, her new tail making short, quick swipes. Finally, Bulma swung the chair she had been sitting in around to face the two. "Yep, it's official," she announced. "Kat, you're a Saiyan."

That almost made her fall out of her own chair. "WHAT?!" she cried.

"I find this hard to believe," Vegeta said.

"The evidence is right here on the screen," Bulma responded, "and attached to Kat as well."

"That's not what I mean," the man told her. "I understand she's a Saiyan, but I'm trying to figure out how. Her mother can't be the Saiyan, all female Saiyans were killed." He seemed somber. "Frieza made 100% sure of that. And as for fathers, that's impossible as well. She looks nothing like Nappa or Raditz - not to mention I know for a fact neither of them had kids - and being Kakarot's kid would be completely out of the question."

"That's true," Bulma agreed. "Chi-Chi would never abandon her own child, not to mention Kat doesn't look like her or Goku."

Kat looked at the only other male Saiyan. "What about you?" she asked.

"Absolutely not," he answered immediately. "I mean, there was..." He shook his head. "No, that's still impossible."

"What?" Kat inquired.

"Look, that doesn't matter," Vegeta stated. "The point is I _can't_ be your father, it's impossible."

The young girl twiddled her thumbs. "Could it be possible there's another Saiyan out there you don't know about?" she questioned.

He crossed his arms. "Quite possibly, but I wouldn't know for sure, nor would I know who or where they are."

She looked down at the ground, and then to Bulma. "So...am I all Saiyan?"

Bulma looked at the screen again. "Well, Vegeta did say there are no female Saiyans left, but maybe one survived..." She checked the results. "Nope, looks like you're only half."

"Then, what's my other half? Am I human at all?"

The scientist looked at her, and then she scanned the blood once more. Once again the three waited in silence. Finally, Bulma turned around once again. "Kat...it looks like you're half Saiyan, half something else...which means you're all alien."

Kat turned completely white. All...alien. She didn't even have an _ounce_ of human in her. Which meant that her mother - or rather, Kagari - wasn't her mother at all. And the realization hit her. The reason she had been neglected this entire time was because she wasn't the woman's own child but rather some _alien's_ child. That made her extremely angry.

"So she's been _lying_ to me!" she hissed. "'Kat, I'm your _mother_ , do this! Kat, I'm your _mother_ , do that!' You'd think she'd have the decency to tell me she _adopted_ me! That she probably found me in some _space pod_! I don't even know why she would pick me up if she were going to end up being _disgusted_ by me! I will _kill_ -"

"Whoa, let's not have those Saiyan instincts take over," Bulma cautioned. "Just take it easy, Kat. I think you just need to ask how this all came about."

The half Saiyan sighed. "Sure, and then cross my fingers in hopes she doesn't toss me into the streets."

"I'm sure she-" Kat stopped her with a look. "Yeah, fingers crossed."

"Though, this makes quite a few things make sense," Vegeta noted. The two females looked at him. "The fact that you started out at three times gravity...it's easy for a child Saiyan to accomplish that. Not to mention your innate ability to fight. Initially I was surprised at your advancements, but now it's not hard to believe."

"Oh, and you said you were able to see Tien and Goku when you watched them fight in those videos, right?" Bulma remembered. Kat nodded. "That must have helped you out." Then she smirked. "And your unusual appetite makes sense now, too."

Kat stuck her tongue out but quickly put it back in and stared at the ground. "Maybe it would have been better if I hadn't figured all of this out," she said sadly. "I mean, now I don't know who my parents are - for all I know I'm an orphan - not to mention I'm some sort of alien _freak_."

"Hey, look on the bright side," Bulma stated. "At least you're not green."

"Ha ha, very funny," Kat replied dully. She hopped out of her chair. "Guess we go back to training, huh?"

Vegeta was silent for a while. "In a sense," he finally decided.

"In a sense?" Kat repeated.

He walked to her backside. "Your tail is another part of you," he began, "and truthfully the weakest." To demonstrate, he grabbed her tail, and Kat let out a scream in pain. Vegeta let go, and Kat spun around to face him, her tail lashing in anger. "If you're going to keep it," he continued, "you need to strengthen it. You're almost 12, right?"

Kat was confused by the question. What did that have to do with anything? "Um...yeah. So what?"

"It's a good thing we released your tail when we did, then," Vegeta stated. "Remember? A Saiyan loses the ability to regrow their tail around the age of 12."

"Oh...right." Kat's new tail swung back and forth slower. "That seems like a long time ago. I kind of forgot."

Vegeta smirked. "Well, do you want to keep it?" he asked.

The girl looked at her newfound tail. "I'm the only Saiyan with a tail, aren't I?" she realized.

"Yes."

She looked at it a little longer, and then at Vegeta with determined eyes. "Then absolutely!" she declared. "This is the last true sign of our race, and I refuse to lose it!"

He laughed. "Already showing some of that Saiyan pride!" he noted. "Very well." He began to walk out of the lab and motioned her to follow, and she did so eagerly. They went back to the training room, and Vegeta turned the gravity back to its original setting.

"Hold on, I thought we were training my tail," Kat said.

"We are," Vegeta replied. "But I also want you to get use to this setting. Besides..." He smirked. "What's wrong with making you do tail pull-ups at 110 times gravity?"

Kat raised an eyebrow and frowned deeply. "You just like to make everything difficult, don't you?" she grumbled.

"Oh come on, it's just like training your other muscles," he taunted.

"I hate you sometimes."

"Of course." Then he turned serious. "Now, I assume you're going to want to hide your tail. From what I've seen you do have slight control of it, so what I want you to do first is wrap it around your waist." Kat looked down at her new tail, and she willed it to wrap around her body. When it made a complete loop, she tried to tie the tip to the base, but the instant she did another sharp pain shot up her spine. Her muscles tightened and she hissed in pain. "Relax, you're making it harder on yourself by tensing up," Vegeta instructed.

"But- but it-"

"Hurts, I know. You won't make the pain go away by putting your body through more." Kat tried to relax, but she just couldn't. Having enough, her tail unwound itself from her waist so its host would stop being in such misery.

"Vegeta... I-I can't do it," she whimpered.

"You're not going to get it on your first try," Vegeta informed. "No Saiyan does. We'll work on this for a while." Kat nodded, and then she looked at her tail, which was hanging loosely and finally relaxed. She sighed softly.

"I think I'm going to head home," she decided. "Maybe Gran-" She looked at her shoes. "I...I mean Na...Natane can give me answers."

There was silence, and after a few minutes Vegeta put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she'll still let you call her what you have been," he stated. Again, Kat nodded, and with that the Saiyan Prince turned off the gravity and the two exited the gravity room.

"Leaving already?" Bulma asked as Kat walked to the front door.

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm hoping I can get some answers."

Bulma smiled. "Alright. Good luck."

As she flew back home, Kat wondered how she was going to start up the conversation. And what was Ginyu going to say to this? She didn't know if she could handle any taunts from him. It was bad enough that all of the taunts that had been thrown at her over the years were bouncing around in her head.

 _Your_ _**mommy** _ _doesn't care about you._

_That's a face not even your mom could love, if she loved you to begin with._

_She's a freak._

_Mommy doesn't care. Mommy loves the computer more than she loves you._

_If it were up to me, she wouldn't be my daughter in the first place._

_She'd probably rather want an alien over you._

Actually, she wouldn't. Being an alien was the problem, not the solution.

By the time she landed on her balcony, she had snapped out of her memories, but she still didn't have a good way to start the conversation and was actually beginning to contemplate on forgoing the plan entirely. She opened up the sliding door and, without looking, threw her backpack onto her bed. There was a cry, and Kat whipped her head to her backpack, watching it wiggle as Ginyu tried to get out from under it.

"Ah!" She ran over and lifted her backpack up, lifting the weight off of the pissed off frog's body. "I'm sorry, Ginyu! I didn't see you there! You're usually on the desk so I didn't think to-"

"Squirt, stop it, it's fine," the frog huffed. "Just be more careful next time." Kat nodded and then set her backpack on the floor before moving towards the door, facing Ginyu the entire time. He eyed her curiously. "What? Something wrong?"

"No," she answered.

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"...No reason."

Ginyu sighed. "Squirt, for the future, if something is wrong but you're trying to assure people there isn't, you might want to act less suspicious," he suggested. "Is something behind your back that I'm not allowed to see?"

Caught red-handed Kat stopped and looked at the carpet. "Yeah," she admitted.

"Can I see it?"

"Didn't we just agree you _couldn't_ see it?"

He shrugged. "Sure, but that makes me all the more curious. And you know that when I want to know something, I'll find out eventually. Just better to get it out of the way now, right?"

Kat rocked on her heels, and the tip of her new tail twitched nervously. "O-okay," she agreed. "But...can I have your word...that you won't...make fun of me? This is hard enough as it is."

Confused but still interested, Ginyu gave his word. It took a full two minutes for Kat to finally gather up her courage to move her tail into his line of vision. His eyes widened. "Is...is that a-"

Her head hung low. "Yeah, I'm a 'filthy space monkey'," she whispered.

All he could do was stare at the brown appendage in shock. Finally, he looked at its master, who was probably waiting for him to break his promise. But he couldn't do it. All he could ask was, "How?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," she muttered. "But it turns out everyone's been right all along: I'm adopted."

"Then what the hell are you doing standing there?!" Ginyu suddenly cried, making the girl jump. "Go up to your grandmother and get some answers!"

The half Saiyan blinked. "But-"

"No 'buts', we're going now!" Ginyu sprang onto her shoulder and began tugging at a clump of her hair. Kat winced and then got it out of his grip, finally agreeing to follow through. With a deep breath, she opened her door.

"G-Gran Gran!" she called out softly, still not sure if it was okay to call her that. Ginyu huffed in annoyance.

"Yes, dear?" the old woman replied from downstairs. "Is something wrong?"

Kat gulped heavily, and then she slowly floated downstairs. She faced the gray haired woman on the couch, and as Natane put down her knitting she noticed the girl's tail. They looked each other in the eye, and Kat finally spoke. "Where...where am I from?"

Natane didn't say anything for a while, and then she patted the space next to her. Kat walked over and sat down, her back on the armrest and her knees to her chest.

"I knew I would have to tell you one day," she began. "Kagari thought we could keep it hidden forever." Kat guessed her adoptive mother had been ashamed of having an alien for a "daughter". "I was visiting my friend Thalia. She lives in the Snowy Highlands near Jingle Village, so October is the last month where I can visit her before the snow really piles on. We were just talking when there was an explosion from close by. Thalia has always been the adventurous one, so she convinced me to come with her to find out what caused it."

"And it was me," Kat realized.

"Yes, more specifically your space pod. And you were inside. There was no note or anything like that, so we didn't know where you came from or why you were sent here. You didn't even have a name. Thalia would have kept you, but she wasn't able to take care of a baby at the time, not to mention she believed it would better if you lived around other children. So I took you home, since Kagari was looking to adopt anyway."

The listeners looked at each other in confusion. "Why?" the girl questioned.

"Kagari...is incapable of baring a child of her own," the old woman revealed. That was new. _Maybe that's why she's bitter,_ Kat thought. Natane sighed sadly. "At first she was devastated, but then she got the idea to adopt. I figured since you were in need, she would take you in with open arms." Then, surprisingly, she smiled brightly. "At first, she did. You were such a sweet baby that Kagari didn't think twice. But...but then she saw your tail, and I told you where I found you."

"She recoiled," Ginyu deduced. Natane nodded. "Yet she decided to keep Kat here?"

"I convinced her," Natane confessed. "Even if you are an alien, you were still a baby, and you needed help. So she did, but under one condition."

"My tail was removed," Kat guessed.

Again, her adoptive grandmother nodded. "For the first two years, it would grow back every two months, and you would always cry when she removed it. Eventually she found a pressure point that would numb the pain. It became helpful to her from when you were three to when you were seven since it would always grow back in your sleep. Around when you became eight or nine your tail stopped growing back, so she thought it was gone forever."

"Vegeta proved that wasn't the case," Kat stated.

"And I'm glad he did," Natane said. "I always wanted to tell you what you were, but Kagari never let me. I'm sorry that I've hidden this for so long, Kat."

Kat didn't say anything, and it took her a while to figure out something to say at all. "So my space pod is in the Snowy Highlands?" she asked.

"Yes, but I'm afraid it's no longer recognizable," Natane informed. "Thalia could never get it out of the crater, so she just left it there. She didn't want to call the authorities because she was afraid they would come after you and start up a ruckus. It's gone through eleven years of snow, ice, water, and mud, with some years being more intense than others. We actually checked up on it one day, around the time you were starting to fly, and it was completely damaged. I only knew what it was because I had seen it before."

They sat in silence for a bit, and finally Ginyu hopped onto the couch and looked at Kat. "So then, who's Daddy?" he inquired.

"Vegeta's not sure," Kat admitted. "I don't look like Nappa or Raditz, I'm not human so he can't be Goku, and Vegeta says it would be impossible for him to be my dad."

Ginyu studied the girl. "He's kind of right," he observed. "Although... Hmm... Wait, I do remember hearing about one other Saiyan."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

"I don't know his name, but I believe - if memory serves - he's Vegeta's younger brother."

"Vegeta has a brother?!" Kat exclaimed happily. "Do you know where he is?!"

But to her disappointment, Ginyu shook his head. "I only heard about him when I would pass them by, and from the sound of it not even Vegeta knows," he reported. "Unless all three of them were misdirecting information."

It was a little discouraging, but then Kat realized that maybe Vegeta really _did_ know where his younger brother was. She jumped off the couch. "I'll be right back!" she announced.

"You're going to ask him now?" Ginyu questioned.

"Yeah! I mean, I'm not going to get sleep otherwise!" She ran to the front door and opened it. "Gran Gran, I'll be-" She looked at the old woman. "I...I mean-"

Natane smiled. "Call me whatever makes you feel comfortable, dear," she told the girl. "I consider you as my granddaughter, anyway."

Kat stared at her for a few minutes, and then she ran back over, hugged the old woman, and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Gran Gran."

"And I love you, my dear." Kat beamed, and then she sped off towards Capsule Corp. again.

Since the Brief family was eating dinner, they weren't exactly expecting company, so when the front door flew open Bulma jumped, and Trunks giggled at her reaction. "Kat back!" he cried.

"Kat, did something happen?" Bulma asked.

Instead of answering, Kat ran over to Vegeta's side. "Ginyu told me you have a brother!" she stated with excitement.

Vegeta stared at her curiously while his wife stared at _him_ curiously. "Tarble? I don't ever remember mentioning him," he replied.

"He said he heard about him when he would pass by." Kat shook her head. "But that's not the point! Do you think he could be my dad?"

The full-blooded Saiyan thought about it. "It...could be possible," he finally said. Kat was about to squeal with glee. "Hold on, Kat, I don't know how much water that statement holds. He was banished from our home planet."

"Banished?" Bulma repeated. "What for?"

"His power level was only at five," Vegeta explained. "Our father didn't exactly want him around."

"So, wait. Your dad banished your brother when he was only five?" Bulma realized in disgust.

"Four."

"That doesn't help, mister!"

With that, Kat's shoulder's slumped. "So for all we know he could be dead?" she observed.

"Quite possibly," Vegeta admitted.

"Do you at least remember what he looked like? Maybe I look like him."

He studied her again. "Since I was only five, he's a little fuzzy," he warned as his eyes scanned her. "But I remember a bit, and you... _kind of_ look like him, just a little. I don't know, maybe you're more like your mother. Though keep in mind, Kat, this is assuming he's alive, and I wouldn't know where to start looking. My father never told me where he sent him."

"Why's that?"

There wasn't an answer, and he went back to his food. Bulma began scolding him, which almost drowned out his mumble of, "Close."

"Close?" Kat parroted. She thought about it, and realized he had said they were close. "Oh, so Bulma _wasn't_ the first one you cared for."

"Shut up!" Vegeta snapped, trying not to blush. "I didn't say anything!"

In response, she giggled. "Okay, _Uncle_."

That got him blushing and scowling. "Stop it! He might not even be your father!"

"Or maybe he is," she sang. Bulma giggled as well, and Trunks laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, _Aunty_ Bulma."

"Kat, you better cut it out or I will-"

Bulma laughed at Vegeta's threat. "See you tomorrow, Kat," she responded.

"Bye bye!" Trunks shouted with a wave.

His babysitter waved back and ran back out the door, closing it behind her. She smiled big and looked up at the yellow and orange sky, signifying that night was drawing near. Soon the stars would be out. "And he might be among them," Kat whispered to herself. "Mom, too. This is kind of exciting." Then her smile became a little smaller. "And scary. I mean, what if I actually am an orphan?" She thought about it, and not long after she started she shook her head. "No, don't think like that. They're out there somewhere, and one day I _will_ find them."

...

The next afternoon Vegeta was meditating in the gravity room, waiting for Kat to show. He decided they would focus solely on training her tail, and he even had Bulma prepare something to help. She hadn't exactly been too happy about making something on such short notice, but to both of their surprise she actually got done with it in a little over half an hour.

Then again, it wasn't like she was creating a new invention.

He felt Kat's ki coming towards the room, and he stood up just as the door opened. "Hi, Vegeta!" she happily greeted as her tag wagged behind her, much to his surprise. He thought she would have stayed up all night thinking and be tired because of it, or perhaps in a not so cheery mood.

"You're energetic today," he noted.

"I got plenty of sleep last night!" she informed with a wide smile.

"You did?"

Kat nodded. "Ginyu forced me to pick up objects with my tail so I would get used to gripping stuff with it," she explained. "It kind of wiped me out."

Vegeta looked at her curiously, and then he chuckled. "Really," he stated.

"Yeah. I threw his translator into the closet where he and Gran Gran can't reach because it hurt so bad."

Now the full-blooded Saiyan laughed. "Well, it's a good thing he got you used to gripping with your tail," he commented as he went to turn the gravity to 110. "You're going to do pull-ups today."

"You were actually serious about that?" she asked, annoyed.

"Of course. Bulma made a bar for you last night, and it should hold you up even at this gravity level."

She finally noticed the pull-up bar to her left, and nodded. "Okay." She walked over and easily hoisted herself on top of the bar, and then after a deep breath she wrapped her tail twice around the metal. Then, slowly, with her hands still on the bar, she hung upside down, and after a few seconds she removed her hands, relying solely on her tail. Her eyelids clasped shut as she gritted her teeth and hissed in pain.

"Just breathe, Kat," Vegeta advised. "Don't think about the pain."

"It's hard...not to," she panted. The half Saiyan took a breath. "T-tell me...something."

"What?"

"I-I don't know...anything, really. Maybe...s-something about...the Saiyans." She took another breath. "I want...t-to know more...about th-them."

He smirked, proud that she wanted to know the history of her ancestors. "Alright," he agreed.

\---

I told you before that we lived on Planet Vegeta, but what I didn't say was that it wasn't always the case. For hundreds of thousands of years the Saiyans migrated from planet to planet, acting something akin to pirates. At some point, though, they wanted a place where they could go back to and rest if they needed to. So, after years of searching they found a planet that was to their liking: Planet Plant.

"Planet...Plant."

Hey, it wasn't my choice. It was named that long before the Saiyans arrived, probably by the original inhabitants, the Tuffles. They were a weak and docile race much like humans, but much more sophisticated and technologically advanced. They were also very cunning and quite proficient with silver tongues. Since they had no use for the wastelands, they agreed to share the planet with the Saiyans. The Tuffles also allowed them to trade with some of their trading partners.

"S-so it was...something of a...symbiotic relationship."

Correct. Though really, the Saiyans only traded with one of the four they were given access to: a race called the Arash, since they had mostly everything the Saiyans could want.

"What a-about...the other three?"

Two of the races had mostly luxuries, which Saiyans didn't need nor care for. The fourth was the Hewevians. The first trade exchange got off to a bad start and never really recovered. Firstly, Planet Hewevy was light years away; it could take a month or longer to get the same kind of goods Saiyans could get from the Arash in a week or two. Secondly, one of the Saiyans insulted one of their members, and I'm not sure if it was on accident or on purpose. Thirdly - and most importantly - Hewevians didn't like the Saiyan lifestyle. While the Tuffles could care less about the Saiyans' planet pilfering, Hewevians actively disliked it. Strangely they were stronger than Tuffles but even more docile. They hated power, so they called the Saiyans out. In turn, the Saiyans dubbed them weak-minded fools who didn't know how to use the power they were given. So-

"Racism?"

Racism. Anyway, despite that, the Saiyans and Tuffles lived rather well for a very long time. But eventually the Saiyans wanted more. But as I said, the Tuffles were cunning; what they lacked in physical strength they made up with smarts. So the Saiyans waited until there was someone who was as cunning as a Tuffle, and then my father came along.

He began the Saiyan-Tuffle War, which lasted for ten years, because the Tuffles actually put up a decent fight. But the war finally ended in Age 730, when the full moon arose and allowed the Saiyans to transform into the Oozaru.

"Oozaru?"

The Great Ape. It's exactly as it sounds. Technically you're able to transform into it as well since you have your tail, but Earth hasn't had its moon in years. Anyway, with all of the Saiyans as Great Apes, they wiped out every single Tuffle, and as a dedication to my father they renamed the planet after him and set up a monarchy with him as king. It didn't last.

A year later was when Frieza showed up and hired the Saiyan race as part of his army. At first, it was a great deal; they would get to do what they loved and keep some of the spoils, and Frieza got the planets he wanted. But the next year, when I was born, more Saiyan babies began to show higher power levels upon birth. Of course, I was one of them, and seeing all of those powerful children made Frieza uncomfortable, since he had heard bits and pieces of the Super Saiyan legend.

However he didn't act right away, and we can call that a lucky break. It was probably because he didn't really believe in the legend, but the day Kakarot was born and sent to Earth, that's when he acted.

"That's when he destroyed the planet."

Exactly. I was on one planet on a mission, Nappa and Raditz were on another - not that I knew - Kakarot was traveling through space, and Tarble had been banished four months before. Really, his banishment was a blessing in disguise...assuming he's still alive today.

\---

When Vegeta was done with his lesson, Kat was halfway through her third pull-up. It was clear that through the slight twitched of her tail that it still hurt a bit, but the girl could at least tolerate it. "When you really think about it, the Saiyans had a short history," she voiced. Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "I mean, they were around since ancient times, but they lived on the planet for a few hundred years, then your dad ruled for about ten years, and then they were gone."

He didn't know whether to be a little annoyed that she said that so nonchalantly or proud that she all of that without panting once. "Perhaps," he finally said.

It was quiet for many minutes, and when Kat got to ten, she requested something else. "Can you tell me the legend of the Super Saiyan?"

"Of course," Vegeta replied. "It was around 1,000 years ago. There was a Saiyan who found himself in grave danger, and under the full moon he called upon all of the strength to not only transform into the mighty Oozaru but to also surpass his limitations and glow golden. It was said that the Saiyan was pure of heart and awakened by rage. Most of us believed that 'pure of heart' meant pure evil or something along those lines."

"Except it meant pure good," Kat piped up.

"Kind of. Originally we all thought so because of Kakarot, but I proved that it _could_ be pure evil. The reason I hadn't been able to obtain it before he did was we all discovered it's also unlocked through need, not desire. Kakarot obtained it through the need of vengeance and to protect. Future Trunks - from what I understand - turned through the need of vengeance as well. Gohan transformed through the need of protection, for him and everyone else. I became one through need of desperation because I was consumed with self hatred."

There was a grunt as Kat did another pull-up and as she lowered she breathed out. "Self hatred?" she repeated as she began another one.

"Yes, the self hatred I had because no matter how much I trained, I couldn't reach what I had been told my whole life was mine to claim."

For a few seconds, she didn't say anything, and Vegeta found himself wondering if she was going to make fun of him, scold him, or both. "Vegeta?"

"Hmm?"

"Your dad's a dick."

That was certainly not expected, and for a while he just stared before he erupted into laughter at her boldness. He stopped after about a minute, and once he was completely done they smiled.

"So, do you think I'll be able to turn, then?" she suddenly pondered.

Vegeta was both surprised and unsurprised by her want to become a Super Saiyan. "I don't see why not," he stated.

"But you just said it comes from a need," she pointed out. "I don't really need anything."

"Well, it won't stop us from trying. Unless you _don't_ want to become a Super Saiyan."

"I do!" she proclaimed. "I don't want to be left behind." Vegeta smirked at her ambition. Suddenly she shivered. "That's not comfortable," Kat muttered.

"What's not?" Vegeta questioned.

"My tail," the half Saiyan answered. "It's all tingly."

"Off," he suddenly ordered. Kat opened her mouth to protest. "No, _off_."

Realizing he was serious, Kat gripped the bar with her hands and flung herself back up. Then she unwound her tail and jumped off. Meanwhile Vegeta went to turn off the gravity, and once it was back to normal Kat stretched her body out, hearing a few bones pop back into place. "Why did you make me stop?" she asked.

"Because if you had continued your tail would have become numb," he informed. "Not stronger, numb. We would've had to yank it off, and for all we know today's the day your tail stops growing back." Kat nodded in understanding. "Now sit with your back to me. Your tail is no doubt sore, so I'm going to loosen it."

Again she nodded but also seemed a little apprehensive. Still she did as she was told. He sat behind her and gently grabbed the brown appendage. Then he began to massage it. At first she stiffened but slowly began to relax. Soon a purr rose up from her throat, but then it abruptly stopped and she turned her head to look at the Prince. "I thought we were monkeys," she commented. "Why am I purring like a cat?"

His answer was a shrug, and then he smirked. "At least your name fits now," he teased.

Kat glared and tried to swat him with her tail, but since he still had a grip on it he began massaging it again. Immediately her tail stilled and she hummed softly as her eyes closed. Then the purr came back, and after a minute or two - perhaps as a retort - she laid her head in his lap and curled up to him like she was a young cub. Vegeta flinched, not expecting that at all, but soon he accepted her position. They stayed there in silence for many minutes before she whispered, "I'll find them one day." He looked at her soft smile. "And when I do, I'm going to make sure they're proud of me."

The Prince stared at her, and then he smiled as well. "Of course they will be," he assured.

Her answer was an even bigger smile.

...

Bulma wondered why the two were taking so long. The first thought was that they were pushing past their limits... _again_ , so with a sigh she went to the control room.

But that wasn't the case at all.

After getting over her surprise she smiled and giggled lightly at the Saiyan Prince gently petting the newest member of his dying race:

A small girl with jet-black hair, lapis lazuli eyes, and a chestnut brown tail who had very big ambitions.


	18. Not Without Reason

The tip of her tail twitched. Luckily Kat was sitting at her desk so no one saw the weird movement under her shirt. But she sighed anyway, because even though she had only acquired her tail four days ago, she knew what certain motions meant.

For example, the tip of her tail twitching meant she was annoyed.

And why wouldn't she be, when Shigeru was kicking the back of her chair like a five-year-old?

Seriously, he had been at it for ten minutes straight, kicking every twenty seconds or so. The only reason she couldn't turned around and tell him to stop was because they were in the middle of a Geometry test. But if didn't stop after they were done, she was going to punch him to next week.

Then Shigeru kicked higher, and unfortunately - in an attempt to kick her lower back - he kicked her tail's base.

Ms. Colette's third period Geometry class, for the rest of the day, swore Kat slammed into the ceiling and splatted onto the floor.

"SHIGERU!" Kat bellowed, jumping to her feet and abandoning her plan of keeping quiet. "IF YOU DON'T STOP KICKING ME OR MY DAMN CHAIR, I SWEAR I WILL PUNCH YOU TO NEXT _YEAR_!"

His hands immediately flew up in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he replied. "Jeez, what's got you so fired up?"

"I broke my tailbone, jackass!" she snapped, and she wasn't _exactly_ lying. The bone in her tail did feel kind of stiff after doing tail pull-ups for the past four days. "Ms. Colette, _now_ can I change seats?"

She sighed. "Very well," she gave in. "Nicki, if you could swap seats with Kat, please."

Kat snatched her backpack and her test materials, and then she walked over to the desk next to the window. She plopped down in the chair, realizing too late that was a bad idea as it sent a shock to her tail that made her yelp. Shigeru snickered lightly, and Kat wished she could punch him in general; who cared when and where he ended up just as long as she could feel his face on her fist.

At lunch Kat found a place to hide while she stretched out her tail. She breathed out when it uncoiled from around her waist and swung lightly back and forth. She wished she could pull down her pants too, but that would be public indecency. The bathroom had come to mind, yes, but she needed to let her tail hang, not be up in the air. At the very least Natane had cut a small hole in every one of her shorts and pants; unfortunately it could only go so far.

After stretching her tail for a few minutes, the half Saiyan went to find her friends. She hadn't told them about her tail yet since both of them had been at clubs Monday and Tuesday, and Tuesday night Gohan called Yuki and said he wanted to go to the West City park Saturday, so Kat decided to hold off until then to reveal she was like him...well, _sort of_ like him.

"Finally!" Yuki cried when she found them. "What took you so long?"

"I needed to stretch a sore muscle," Kat answered as she sat down lightly.

"And you couldn't do that here?" Mitsumi questioned dryly.

"I needed a wall."

Mitsumi opened her mouth to say something but then looked around and realized there were no walls near where they were sitting. "Fair point," she stated.

"Hey, before Maito ran to soccer club, he said you literally hit the ceiling during Geometry," Yuki brought up. "What does that mean?"

"It means I literally hit the ceiling," the black haired girl grumbled. "Shigeru kicked my tail bone, and it's kind of broken as it is."

They rubbed their own tailbones just _thinking_ about it getting kicked. "But how did he kick so hard you flew up to the ceiling?" Mitsumi wondered.

"Just because Vegeta occasionally treats me like a punching bag doesn't mean sensitive bones aren't sensitive," Kat responded.

That wasn't _entirely_ false.

When Kat went to train her tail that afternoon, she found she couldn't hang off the bar. In fact, her tail immediately uncoiled and sent her crashing to the floor as soon as she tried. "Alright, what did you do?" Vegeta sighed.

"Why do you assume _I_ did something?" she retorted as she picked herself off the floor. "If it _was_ because of something today, it would be because some jerk with spiky mahogany hair." The Prince raised an eyebrow, looking for an explanation. "He kicked the base of my tail."

"Mmm, yep, that would do it," he said. "Well, guess we're done for the day. You should let your tail rest, and you shouldn't be exercising excessively, especially since I could accidentally kick the base again."

Kat huffed. "Fine," she agreed. She lightly stretched out her tail again. "Who knew having a tail would be so hard."

"It'll get easier," Vegeta assured. Then he smirked. "Unless you want me to yank it out."

"And then I'll find the Dragon Balls, wish our tails back, and yank out _yours_." He just snickered.

Saturday came quickly, though not without a rough patch. She was nervous all Friday night, hoping she wouldn't tip off Kagari about her tail. Yes she had thought about confronting her about it...but...

And there was something else.

_"Blaise and I are getting married next February."_

Fantastic.

So not only did she have to hide that she was an alien from her adoptive mom, she would soon have to hide it from her boring-as-hell adoptive stepfather.

Of course she could just confront them about it...but...

First she had to tell her friends.

"Oh man!" Mitsumi squealed through a full mouth. "Tell your grandpa I love him forever, Gohan! This chicken is a- _ma_ -zing!"

Gohan laughed. "Yeah, no problem. He's the one who came up with the idea that we turn this into a picnic," he explained.

"No wonder he's a king," Yuki piped up. "He's got good ideas."

The half-breed boy laughed again, and then he noticed Kat deep in thought. "Hey, Kat, you all right?" he asked. "You usually eat up Grandpa's cooking like nobody's business."

"I'm not too terribly hungry today," she admitted. "And I have a lot on my mind."

"Clearly," Yuki commented. Then he playfully poked the side of her head with one of his chopsticks. "Come on, tell us what's going on in Central Station."

"Yuki, I'm serious," Kat replied, pushing the utensil away. Her friends realized she meant it. "I originally had something to tell you guys. Now it looks like I have two, and I don't know which one to begin with."

"Start with the one that you'd rather not say," Mitsumi suggested.

She nodded. "Well, Blaise is going to be moving in sometime in February," Kat began.

"They're getting married?" Yuki realized. "Man, no wonder you're so down. First you have one never-around-workaholic now you'll have two."

"And I'm assuming Kagari wants you to be 'perfect'," Mitsumi groaned.

Again her friend nodded. "Worst part, it's going to be harder than ever to try and fake something vaguely resembling perfection," the black haired girl added.

"Why's that?" Gohan questioned.

"Because I'm pretty sure I can't cut a hole in the back of my dress."

It wasn't surprising that they were confused, but Kat quickly cleared it up for them by unwrapping her tail and having it wave lazily off to the side. They stared at it with wide eyes. "No way," Gohan breathed. "Kat...is that a _Saiyan_ tail?" She nodded a third time.

"Wait, so Kagari somehow found a Saiyan and had you?" Mitsumi guessed.

This time Kat shook her head. "I'm not like Gohan; I don't know what my other half is. Gran Gran's the one who found me, and she said there wasn't a note or anything to explain what was going on. She wanted to tell me, but...well..."

"That... Kat, I-" Yuki stopped, and then he grunted. "Wow, Kagari didn't even have the decency to say you were adopted, let alone that you aren't human. I seriously hope you whip her in the face with your tail."

"I thought about it," Kat revealed. "And as much as I would want to, I don't think I should."

" _Why_?!" Yuki cried. "Shove it in her face, take your grandma, and get out! I'm sure Bulma and her family wouldn't mind two more people living with them."

"First, I can't take Gran Gran from her daughter," the half Saiyan girl stated. "Second, what good would it do to show her my tail? Next thing I know some government agents might come along and try to poke and prod at me like I'm a test subject."

"Well then just-"

"Kill a bunch of people when they try, is that what you're saying?" Kat interrupted. "I can't do that. Even if that's what my instincts told me to do, it would never sit right with me. And I wouldn't want to scare you guys and have you paranoid that I would snap any minute...like you are now."

"Hold up!" Gohan exclaimed, jumping to his feet. The other three looked at him. "Kat, you're the same as me...well, _kind of_ , but you get my point. Are any of you afraid of me?" They shook their heads. "Exactly. And just because you train more than I do doesn't make you more violent or prone to anger. Hell, I think I'm _scarier_ than you when I'm angry. But beyond that, just because the identity of your species changed doesn't mean you aren't you anymore, Kat. We'd be terrible friends if we left you just because you aren't human." Mitsumi and Yuki voiced agreements, and Kat smiled.

"Thanks," she replied. "I wish I could show off my tail to Kagari, too, but I just don't think it's right to tell her. At least, not now."

"Maybe another day," Mitsumi voiced. Kat smiled bigger.

Yuki went back to his lunch, but after one bite he stopped. "Tailbone," he muttered. "Tail...bone. Tail bone... Holy crap, Shigeru kicked the base of your tail?!"

"He did?!" Gohan shouted. The other half-breed nodded. " _Jeez_ , Kat, how did you not blow up the whole school?! When Mom accidentally yanked the base of my tail when I was younger I screamed so loud I nearly destroyed the house!"

"Well, I _am_ eight years older than four-year-old you," Kat pointed out. "And I've been training it...which honestly made it a bit sore in the first place."

"How do you train it?" Mitsumi asked.

"Pull-ups with my tail at 110 times gravity."

"Wow, it must be pretty strong if it can lift you up at that setting," Yuki noted, and no one noticed him reaching towards her tail more towards the tip. He grabbed and gently squeezed it, wondering if Kat could take the light pressure.

Those passing by, for the rest of the day, swore they heard a loud, girly squeal and two kids fly at least 20 feet into the air.

...

The next Saturday, Kat found herself traversing the West City Mall with Kagari, and the girl had no idea what they were there for. They silently walked from one end to the other, and Kat wondered why the woman hadn't just parked on the opposite side of the place. Finally they reached their destination, and Kat raised an eyebrow.

"We're getting me fitted for a dress already?" she questioned. "We have four months, and I might grow in that time."

"Judging from how short you are and how small your chest is, I'm going to guess you won't grow that much, if at all," Kagari countered.

That hit so many nerves Kat was amazed her tail and fists didn't lash out in frustration.

They went into the dress shop, and for a little bit the half Saiyan was nervous that Kagari would watch her get measured. Fortunately her adoptive mother shoved her off and went looking for a dress she liked. Feeling much more relaxed, Kat didn't mind the measurer wrapping the tape around her body. Though, in order to get an accurate measure, Kat had to unwrap her tail and show it to the woman, who looked very, _very_ spooked. "Trust me, I'm very normal," Kat stated. "Just please don't say anything and keep measuring. I don't like being in here."

"O...of course," the woman squeaked.

After the woman had all of her measurements, she gave them to Kagari, and the two found a dress that the bride-to-be liked that also fit Kat's size. It also just so happened that Kat _despised_ the straight, plain pale pink dress. She didn't necessarily hate the color pink, but this color was just so... _girly_.

Kat was a girl. She didn't mind doing girly things from time to time. But this...no, just no.

As the two went back through the mall, Kat noticed Shigeru passing by with his parents. Of course, she was going to ignore him, but she was met with unfortunate timing as his mother dragged her husband to go window-shopping. Since Kagari wasn't paying attention, Shigeru walked over, with a smirk on his face, to Kat and stopped her. "Aw, how sweet," he tauntingly cooed. "You're spending quality time with Mommy. How does it feel to finally have some?"

"Back off, Spike Top, I'm not interested," Kat responded and she tried to walk again since Kagari was getting farther and farther away.

Shigeru sneered, also noticing the woman wasn't stopping. "Well, it seems Mommy doesn't care what happens to you," he noted. "I wouldn't be surprised if she dumps you somewhere someday." With his usual taunt done, he snickered and waited for her to roll her eyes and flip him off before following the woman.

So it came as a surprise when she just stood there, staring at him but looking like she was lost in thought.

"That's not true," she finally whispered. "I...I'm not some piece of _trash_. I-it wouldn't happen. I w-wasn't... I-I mean I w- _won't_... S-stop th-that, y-you're wrong, st-stop s-saying l-lies, I-I'm n- _not_ -" She shook her head, but that didn't stop her voice from shaking. "L-leave m-me alone, y-you d-don't know a...a-anything. M-Mom and D-Dad...th-they...I-I-"

"Jeez, when did you get so touchy on the subject?" Shigeru interrupted. "Look, it's just a joke, don't get you panties in a twist."

A joke. He thought this was okay to make a damn _joke_? Kat certainly wasn't laughing. Her blood began boiling, and she grabbed his shirt and yanked him forward so he was looking right into her eyes that were consumed in a lapis lazuli fire. "You don't joke about abandonment, bastard!" she shouted, her voice no longer shaking. "I would think that's common sense, but clearly not to you! Now shut up about it and leave me _alone_!" With that she threw him to the ground and took off, no longer caring about trying to get to Kagari's car. She just needed to get away from where she was, and the whole time she ran, she tried to assure herself she hadn't been abandoned.

_Mom and Dad didn't just ship me off. There's a good reason, there has to be! When they find me they'll be proud, because by the time they get here I'll be a Super Saiyan, and they- They'll be amazed, they'll be bursting with pride, and they- I wasn't just tossed into space for no reason, Mom and Dad wouldn't-_

Her thoughts were abruptly cut when she ran into a bench, flying over the armrest and her face slammed into the granite before she tumbled onto the floor face up. The tears that she had been holding back finally sprang free, and it wasn't from physical pain. Though she did try from crying out loud, so she just ended up heaving unevenly as she squeezed her eyes shut. No one noticed her, or if they did they passed her on by.

All except for two.

"Kat, what's wrong?" Krillin's voice made her eyes snap open. She noticed him and 18 kneeling beside her with concerned looks. Unable to hold it back anymore, Kat began to cry.

"Mom left me!" she cried. "Mom dumped me off and left! She doesn't want me, she never wanted me, she-" She stopped talking and began to wail.

Krillin grunted. "Damn that woman," he hissed, thinking the young girl was talking about Kagari. He stood up. "I'm going to find her and give her a piece of my-"

"I don't think that's what she's talking about," 18 informed. Krillin looked at his girlfriend in confusion until he noticed what the blonde cyborg was referring to.

By that point, Kat's tail had uncoiled and had begun to occasionally thump the floor to reflect its master's distress.

"She left me!" the half Saiyan repeated. "Dad didn't want me, they didn't want me, I-"

"Kat, that isn't true," Krillin soothed. But his words didn't help, and the former monk looked at his girlfriend. "18, what are we going to do?"

She thought quickly, and something came to mind. 18 gently ran her hand through Kat's hair, lightly massaging the girl's scalp as she did. Kat calmed down a bit to 18's relief. "Come on, Kat, we'll take you to Capsule Corp.," she told her. The Saiyan sat up but otherwise didn't move, still crying softly. So 18 picked her up, and Kat buried her head into the woman's shoulder as her tail wrapped around 18's left arm, looking for comfort. The cyborg began to run her left hand through her hair again, and then she nodded at Krillin, signaling they should be moving. He agreed.

After all, a nice lunch date could wait. Kat's peace of mind couldn't.

...

Bulma frowned as she continued to brush Kat's hair. The small girl had finally cried herself to sleep on the couch, and she, 18, and Krillin didn't dare to move her since they didn't want her to wake up and start crying again. "I should have known finding all of this out would have caused her stress," the scientist said somberly.

"At least I was well into my twenties when I was converted," 18 commented. "Not to mention I still had my brother with me, and I already knew the fate of my parents."

"But what are we going to do now?" Krillin brought up, sounding a bit defeated. "No matter what we say, she isn't going to listen."

He had a good point, and neither of the women could think of anything to say to the girl. They sat in silence as they thought, and they didn't notice Vegeta walk into the living room. He looked over and raised an eyebrow. "What happened here?" he inquired.

The three looked at him with somber gazes. "We're not exactly sure," Krillin admitted. "18 and I found her lying on the ground trying not to cry, and then suddenly she was saying her parents abandoned her."

"I should have said something to her," Bulma chastised, "but she seemed so comfortable with the knowledge and was focusing on her tail that I figured it didn't matter."

Vegeta frowned as well and walked behind the couch to watch Kat. She was curled up in a semi loose ball, and her tail drooped over the side of the cushions, unmoving. "So how do you know the woman who takes care of her isn't her mother?" 18 suddenly asked.

"Kat isn't human at all," Vegeta answered. "We know she's part Saiyan, and that's it."

18 frowned deeper, this time in confused and frustrated thought. "Then that just means it makes less sense," she muttered. Everyone looked at her curiously. "When I first met Kat - like, _actually_ talked to her and all - she seemed familiar to me for some reason. Krillin and I figured maybe she looks like someone from the forgotten parts of my past, but if she isn't human in the slightest that makes it even less likely as to why she seems so familiar." She grunted lightly. "It doesn't make any sense. Why does she seem so damn familiar? It drives me insane any time I happen to think about it."

They looked back at the sleeping half-breed. "And to think I might not be dealing with all of this if I didn't want that wish of a lifetime supply of strawberries," Bulma sighed.

"Yeah, because _that's_ the most important thing right now," Krillin grumbled sarcastically. "And again, what are we going to say to her?"

Nothing was said for a while, and finally - without a word - Vegeta lightly scooped Kat up and began to walk upstairs. Bulma opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, but he didn't stop. The three watched as he disappeared up the stairs. "Do you think he has a plan?" Bulma wondered aloud.

"Dunno," Krillin replied. "Guess we'll find out."

Up on the third floor, in the guest room that was slowly but surely becoming Kat's home away from home, Vegeta set her down on the bed, not bothering to lift the covers. He made sure her back was to him, and then he knelt down beside the bed and began to stroke down her tail. He remembered that his mother used the same trick, as did all Saiyan mothers, since the primal part of a Saiyan child's mind felt safe and comfortable when the most vulnerable part of their body was handled with care. And thankfully it worked for Kat; her body relaxed, her breathing became more even and soft, and - when he stood up a tad to look at her face - it was no longer scrunched up and tense. He sighed lightly with relief and kept petting her tail for many minutes until Kat began to stir. Vegeta moved his hand away from her tail just as she turned onto her other side.

"Vegeta?" she mumbled, her voice hoarse and her eyes slightly red.

"Glad to see you're awake," he said. "Now, you want to tell me what this is about?" Her eyes moved downwards and she began to curl into a ball. "Hey, none of that." Once more he grabbed her tail and began to stroke it, surprisingly Kat slightly but then she began to relax again. She didn't give up her somber face, though.

"They abandoned me," she repeated quietly. "They had to, there's no other way."

"Not without reason," Vegeta argued. "At the very least, your Saiyan parent wouldn't have let you go without one, and even then not without a fight. A Saiyan's child means a lot to them." Kat stared at the full-blooded Saiyan questionably, and he chuckled. "I'm warning you now, Kat, your argument is starting on a downhill slope if you're going to try and use me as an example of Saiyan parenting." A few seconds passed, and then Vegeta saw a ghost of a smile. "We don't know why you're here, so don't go assuming you were abandoned, okay?"

"But...what if that _is_ the reason?" Kat countered.

It took a while for Vegeta to think of an answer, and it took even longer for him to reply. "Then your parents are a very foolish pair," he told her. Then he smirked. "And I might just have to beat your Saiyan parent down for their negligence." Kat's breath hitched slightly, and then finally she gave off a small smile, making Vegeta match it.

Neither of them moved from where they were, and when Bulma went to check on them around twenty minutes later, she found a slightly familiar sight of the two Saiyans relaxing together, only this time both of them were asleep. She sighed happily and quietly walked over to the window to close the blinds. The sound made Vegeta stir, and he looked at her with an eyebrow raised. His wife just simply smiled before walking over to him and kneeling down. "You know, I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing a bed with you," she whispered in his ear. "Besides, I hear it's much more comfortable than leaning against it."

He grunted but smiled. "I'll think about it," he responded. Bulma silently giggled before standing up. With one last look at the pair, she smiled and closed the door behind her.


	19. A Big Brother's Present

Gohan yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Then he stretched and swung his legs over so that his feet touched the wooden floor. He picked up his phone that was on the nightstand and unlocked it. "7:30," he read before yawning again. "Not a bad time to wake up." Setting his phone down he got out of bed and walked out to the living room/kitchen.

His mom and brother stayed the night at his grandpa's castle. Gohan would have gone with them, but all of his subjects had tests, and by the time he was done with all of them he was exhausted, so Chi-Chi allowed him to stay at home and rest. Apparently they were still there, so Gohan would have to settle on his subpar cooking abilities.

As he prepared breakfast, there was something nagging at him in the back of his mind, but he couldn't figure out what. Throughout his entire meal Gohan kept thinking about it, and his eyes scanned the room in hopes of finding something that would jog his brain. His eyes fell on a list on the refrigerator, and he read it, learning that it was a few things his mom needed to get for Goten's birthday. "Oh, that's right, his birthday is tomorrow," Gohan remembered, and then he went back to breakfast. A few seconds passed before something  _else_ dawned on him.

Oh he was so  _screwed_.

Not bothering to clean up, Gohan scrambled around to get ready for the day. "Oh, why did I procrastinate on getting Goten's present?" he scolded as he ran around the house. His teeth were brushed, his unruly hair became...less unruly, and he threw on some clothes, not caring if they didn't match. He was about to sprint out of the house when he stopped in his tracks and patted his pockets. "Phone, wallet, house key." None of them were there, so he quickly snatched all three of them before bolting out the door, locking it, and then shooting off into the sky towards West City.

At top speed it took him about 30 or 40 minutes for him to reach the mall, and thankfully nothing flew out of his pockets on the way. That didn't mean he had an idea for a gift, but perhaps if he walked around something would come to mind. "Hey, Gohan!" someone called out, and he stopped to watch Yuki and another boy run up to him.

"Hey," Gohan greeted when they caught up with him. "Sorry, but I can't talk long. I'm in a huge hurry."

The new boy grunted. "Yeah, nice friend you have," he grumbled. Yuki slapped him.

"Ignore my brother, he can be a brat," Yuki stated. "So, what's the rush?"

"I need to get a present for Goten," the half Saiyan replied.

His friend smiled. "That's right, he turns two to...morrow... Oh crap," Yuki realized.

"Yeah, I screwed up," Gohan said.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Yuki questioned. He grabbed Gohan's wrist. "Let's go already!"

Let's, as in let  _us_ , as in  _both_ of them. "Hold on, you don't-"

"I'd feel like a crappy friend if I let you do this alone," the green haired boy insisted with a smile, and Gohan couldn't help but smile as well.

"Why do we have to do this?" Yuki's brother huffed.

Yuki let out an exasperated sigh. "You don't, Dalton," he countered. "You have a phone. Use it to call Mom to pick you up and tell her I'm with a friend." Without another word, Dalton walked to the entrance of the mall, and Yuki sighed again. "Sorry about that. My little brother isn't exactly the most respectful person."

"No problem," Gohan responded. "Speaking of little brothers, though..."

"Right, present. Okay, do you have any ideas?" Yuki began as they started walking.

Gohan sighed. "No," he admitted. "I thought of getting a toy, but I'm pretty sure Grandpa's going to get him a mountain of them."

"Hmm... What about clothes?"

"Mom's going to get him a heap of clothes."

"Damn, what does your mom expect you to get him, then?" The half Saiyan shrugged, and Yuki sighed. They began to scan the stores they passed, but nothing seemed like a good idea. At one point they passed a bookstore, and Yuki stopped him. "Hold on, what about a picture book?" he suggested.

"Well..." Gohan thought about it. "Mom did give him one book last year, and he didn't seem to care for it."

"Was it a  _picture_  book?" the fourteen-year-old asked.

"Yes, but it was one of mine."

"Well no wonder! You two are  _completely_ different people!" Yuki pointed out. "We have to find something that your brother will like."

The twelve-year-old smiled. "You're right," he agreed. "Let's try it."

So the boys entered the bookstore, immediately making their way to the children's section. Since he was half Saiyan, who - if in the right environment - could learn faster than humans, Goten could read many words and say even more...if he was up to saying them in the first place. However, he did like pictures better and he wasn't as enthusiastic about learning as his big brother, which was why Gohan's old books didn't appeal to the toddler. So rather than trying to find a book about numbers or manners, the teens tried to find something like a fantasy or slice-of-life.

Unfortunately, they came across a small problem.

"Are you kidding me?" Yuki hissed. He almost slammed the book back into the shelf, but he stopped before he bent the pages. "Does  _every_ book here have or elude to Mr. Satan? Kami, people, variety is the spice of life!"

Both boys had gone through six or seven books each, and every single one featured the "Earth's Hero" in some way. Earth's  _actual_ hero had never felt so annoyed towards the human. Not that he wanted to be in a book any time soon, but he couldn't believe how big the man's ego was. The Cell Games were almost three years ago, could people just move  _on_ already?

Whatever.

Still they searched for a book, and they continued to find books that disappointed them. Then finally,  _finally_ , they found a simple book about a boy and his dragon. "Thank goodness," Gohan sighed.

"Yeah, awesome find," Yuki congratulated.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," the half-breed countered. "I agree: any Dr. Seuss book is definitely a good idea, but maybe next year.

The older boy smiled in appreciation, and then they made their way to checkout. As they walked, they saw a few more books about Mr. Satan. While Gohan ignored them, Yuki stared at almost every single one. "How did your dad die?" Yuki suddenly inquired. Gohan looked at him, who was avoiding the Saiyan's gaze. "I mean, I know he died, but I never heard how. N-not that you have to say anything if you don't want to."

"I don't mind," Gohan stated. "It helps me come to terms with...with my own stupidity."

"Stupidity?"

Gohan nodded. "And, well, we have to go back at bit further to understand  _that_."

XXX

"Gohan, remember why we're here. It's time to finish this!"

I looked to the group, with my eyes solely on Dad. "What?" I questioned in a voice not my own. "You're kidding, right?" I chuckled darkly and looked back at Cell. "I'm not letting him get away that easy. First he's going to suffer the way he made everyone else suffer."

Of course everyone, especially Dad, was dumbfounded by my resolve. I mean, I'm one of the meekest people out there, and I was saying something that was more up Vegeta's ally. But the thing is, Super Saiyan 2 makes you even angrier than just a Super Saiyan because it has so much more power. Dad tried to get me to listen to reason.

"Gohan, you've backed Cell into a corner!" he shouted. "He can't win, and he knows it!" I looked back at him again, smirking, because somewhere in my messed up mind I  _wanted_ him to know he had no options. "There's no telling what he'll do now that he's desperate! End this while you have the chance!"

Again, Super Saiyan 2.

For a while I knocked around Cell, since he had completely bulked up and therefore reduced his speed exponentially. I even saved 18 in the process, which reverted him back to his Semi-Perfect state.

And then I paid for my actions.

Cell became bloated, declaring that his detonation would make the planet explode, not to mention that if I blasted him into space he would explode before he left the atmosphere. And that's when I finally gained control of my thoughts, when I finally realized I had made a huge mistake. Dad's warning rang in my mind.  _I'm...sorry... You were right; I should have listened to you._

It was all my fault.

I had killed us.

There was nothing anyone could do.

No one...except Dad.

He used Instant Transmission and appeared right in front of me. And despite my disobedience and negligence, he smiled at me...because...because...

"I'm really proud of you, my son."

That... _baffled_ me. There was no way he could be, not after what I had done. But my dad doesn't lie when it comes to something like that. "Dad...what are you-"

"You listen to your mom," he continued, and that's when I realized exactly what he was doing, "and you keep hitting those books, okay? Tell her I'm sorry, but I'm not going to make it home this time."

I couldn't believe it...didn't  _want_ to believe it. But he just smiled bigger, and I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

"Goodbye, Gohan."

Then he and Cell were gone.

Dad had used Instant Transmission to teleport both of them to King Kai's planet, where Cell exploded...

And took Dad with him.

XXX

Yuki stared at him with wide eyes. "Really?" he whispered.

"Really," Gohan confirmed. "But actually, that wasn't the end. Cell survived, and he and I got into a Kamehameha struggle, and I almost lost. Thankfully everyone distracted Cell so that he also had to focus on fending them off at the same time, and..." The twelve-year-old smiled and sniffed, holding back tears. "Dad was with me, encouraging me the whole time. It was thanks to his words that I was able to defeat him."

The older boy continued to stare, and then he smiled as well. "You have one awesome dad," he complemented.

Gohan smiled bigger. "Thanks," he replied. By that point the two had made it to the counter, and the total came out to 791.58 zeni. "But why did you ask?"

"Well, I was going to suggest bring Goten to your dad's grave," Yuki explained as they left. "I know he won't understand the significance behind it... _hell_ , he might not even remember. But I thought it would be a nice gesture. Though, if all of that is the case..."

"Actually, I made a grave for him," Gohan revealed. "I know there's no body, but you can make a place to honor someone without one. And you know what, that sounds like a good idea." The Saiyan looked at his friend and smiled. "Why don't you come with us?"

" _Me_?!" Yuki exclaimed. "No way, that's something super personal, I can't-"

"I wouldn't mind," the half-breed interrupted. "I would really like you to join us."

He opened his mouth to argue again, but then he stopped. "Alright," he agreed. "If you really don't mind." Then he chuckled. "But I'm going to need a lift, okay?"

"It would take forever to drive to your house and then drive back," Gohan pointed out.

"True, but I don't think it would take long for you to fly."

Now Gohan was the one who opened his mouth, but then he closed it and thought about it. Then he laughed. "Alright, I'll come pick you up," he informed.

"Good, but...uh, can you go slow? I've asked Kat tons of times to fly me at some point, but she never has."

"Of course."

...

The next morning, after an equally terrifying yet thrilling flight (at least, for Yuki it was), Goten's small birthday party began. Just as predicted, Chi-Chi got her youngest plenty of clothes and the Ox-King brought many toys. Goten, being a toddler, didn't pay much attention to what the clothes looked like or what the toys were exactly; he just liked them. Then Gohan's present (which  _thankfully_ his mom didn't realize it was an "almost last minute") was opened, and the small boy looked at it curiously before lighting up. "Dragon!" he exclaimed.

Both teens chuckled lightly. "Yep, Goten, dragon," Gohan replied. His brother beamed.

For the rest of the morning until lunch and cake were ready, Goten read the book to the two older boys. It went on for a long time since the toddler stumbled on words, but neither of the teens minded. They just smiled and listened, happy that he ended up liking his present.

Food was ready, and it didn't take long for the birthday boy to get messy. Chi-Chi scolded while she desperately tried to keep him clean, her father just stared, and the older boys stifled laughter. After lunch was finally over, Chi-Chi wanted Gohan and Yuki to take the young boy outside so she could clean. So the three boys went outside, and the half Saiyan smiled at his friend before looking at the sky. "NIMBUS!" he yelled. His family's fluffy yellow cloud flew down from the sky and right next to the group, and then Gohan - with his brother him his arms - hopped on. Then he held out his hand. "You're going to need to hold onto me, unless you think you have a pure heart."

Yuki chuckled. "I like to think I'm nice, but I know I'm not pure," he admitted.

They flew away from the small capsule house and towards the cluster of tall mountains. Yuki peered over Gohan's shoulder to see a small house; it looked like it only had one room at most. "That's the house my dad and Grandpa Gohan lived in," the half Saiyan informed.

"His grandpa?" Yuki repeated.

"Kat's not the only one who has an adoptive grandparent," Gohan said with a smile.

Once Nimbus stopped, Gohan floated off and landed on the ground. He led his friend to an old fire pit-like structure, and not too far from it was a gravestone that read "Here lies the spirit of Son Goku: Warrior, Friend, Father". There were a few flowers surrounding the gray slab of rock but nothing else.

"I thought about searching for the Four Star Dragon Ball since it was my dad's keepsake," Gohan explained, "but I decided against it."

"The fact that you made this in the first place... I don't think your dad would mind that you didn't get the Dragon Ball," Yuki reasoned.

Gohan nodded. "Can you read what it says, Goten?" he asked his younger brother. The small boy stared at the stone curiously, but then he made a sound of non-understanding. Perhaps it was because of the way they were written, or maybe because Goten was used to pictures accompanying the words. Still Gohan smiled. "This is where Daddy is."

"Da..da?" Goten parroted. Then he laughed. "Dada!"

The other two laughed along with him, although they weren't as cheerful, since they knew what this place meant. "Thanks for allowing me to come to this place," Yuki said. "It really means a lot that you would let me come here with you."

"Of course," Gohan responded. "You're my friend, and I plan to take all of my friends here someday."

"So wait, you've taken me here, but not Krillin?" Gohan shook his head. "Not Tien or Yamcha?" Again, he shook his head, and then Yuki gave off a hint of a sly grin but kept his voice steady. "Not even Kat?"

He was about to shake his head a third time when Gohan realized what Yuki meant by that, and he blushed. "I- ...I don't like her like that..." he mumbled.

"Hey, I'm just messin with ya!" Yuki laughed as he nudged the twelve-year-old's shoulder. "That's what friends do! Right, Goten?"

"Yeah, yeah!" he happily cheered even though he didn't understand.

Yuki laughed again, with Goten joining right in. After a few moments, Gohan's embarrassment wore off, and he added his own chuckles. He made a quick glance at the grave and beamed.

Because he knew, if his dad could see this, he'd want it to be a place where people remembered the good times.


	20. A "Day Off"

Ever since Goten's birthday, Gohan and Yuki hung out as often as they could. True, it was kind of annoying that Gohan always had to fly to West City and back, but it was worth it. The two boys would go to the library or the park or the even the beach, though they never went into the water because it was still winter. Whatever they did, it was fun, and in a way, the half Saiyan felt like he now had an older brother.

While Kat and Mitsumi were happy that the two were getting quality time, they also didn't know how to feel about it. They even said one day that Yuki might be something of a bad influence, and neither boy could tell if they were joking or not.

Well, on a random Friday in February, they were going to be...possibly halfway to the answer.

Gohan was _so_ done with school for the day. His mom had him working on assignments not due for weeks, and if he finished all of them, she'd have another twenty to go through. And that was unfortunately no exaggeration. Times like this made Gohan wish he was in a public school instead of homeschooled, but there wasn't a middle or high school for miles. Besides, he didn't know how to "properly fit in".

Yeah, that's why he _totally_ didn't have three friends his own age who helped him fit in with ease.

Suddenly Gohan's phone rang, and usually his mom wouldn't let him answer while he was "in school hours". But the half Saiyan was pretty much _over_ school, and his mom wasn't at home and wouldn't be until the next day. So (though slightly hesitant, as if Chi-Chi would suddenly warp into his room) he picked up his phone.

"Hello?" Gohan asked.

"Wow, you picked up," Yuki replied with surprise. "I didn't actually think you would."

The half Saiyan was equally surprised his friend was on the other line. "Yuki? Don't you have school right now?"

"I should," he answered. "But I don't."

"Why not?" Gohan questioned cautiously.

"It just seemed too boring to do today."

Gohan almost fell out of his chair. "Wait, you're _ditching_?" he realized.

"Yeah, I do it every now and then," Yuki explained nonchalantly. "Kat comes with me sometimes, too," _I thought Kat was against ditching!_ Gohan cried in his head; he was learning a lot of things about his friends today, "but she couldn't today. Her history class has a test. And I _never_ ask Mitsumi. She'd rat me out in a heartbeat."

"And you're telling me...why?" the black haired boy inquired.

"I was wondering if you wanted to join me today. I'm kind of lonely."

"You want _me_ to ditch?!" Gohan squeaked. "I can't ditch; Mom would _kill_ me!"

"But didn't you say she didn't like it when you used your phone during school hours?" the green haired teen pointed out.

"Yeah, but she's not here-" He immediately regretted saying that.

"Exactly. If you leave for a few hours and get back before she does she'll never know," Yuki assured.

This still didn't sound like a good idea. "Um..."

"Gohan, ditching school for _one day_ isn't going to turn you into a delinquent," Yuki stated. "I ditch once or twice a year, and I'm not. I even get decent grades. Meanwhile you're Mr. Genius. Is one day really going to impact you that much?"

Well...Gohan _had_ been complaining about all of the work he had been doing lately, but still... He sighed.

"One day," he instructed, giving in. "One day only. That's it."

"Works fine for me!" Yuki exclaimed happily and a tad triumphant. "Meet me at the West City Mall." With that, he hung up.

Gohan sighed again. "What did I get myself into?" he muttered. At the very least, Goten was with his babysitter, and she wouldn't drop the toddler off until seven. Thinking he would need it, Gohan grabbed his wallet. Then he jumped out the window, closed it up, and took off towards West City.

As he flew through the sky, Gohan felt...free.

It was weird to think that but it was true. It was as if a heavy weight lifted off of his shoulders. _Maybe I've been working too hard lately,_ Gohan thought. _Maybe I just need to relax. Yeah, everyone needs a day of relaxation._ Gohan smiled at that, and he was suddenly excited for the day ahead of him.

"Wow, you seem happier than you sounded," Yuki noted as the half Saiyan landed.

"I was thinking about what you said, and I realized you're right," Gohan said.

Yuki smiled. "Well, let's go, then!" he declared. "I promised this will be an awesome day off!"

They stared by going into the video game store, browsing around and finding any games that peeked their interest. Between the two of them, they found nine, and they almost bought them when Gohan realized they didn't have enough cash. "And if we use your credit card, your parents will realize you're not in school," he continued. "Maybe you should get them tomorrow."

"You're right," Yuki replied. He chuckled. "Barely an hour in and you already know how to properly hide." Gohan flicked him, but all Yuki did was laugh.

Their next stop was the bookstore, though Yuki forbade Gohan from the nonfiction section. Graphic novels, comics, manga, even historical fiction, but no textbooks or autobiographies.

Not that Gohan wanted to read any of those at the moment, anyway.

After spending almost an hour reading, the boys traveled to - funny enough - a clothing store, and it was actually Gohan's idea. He knew it was more of a girl's thing, but Yuki didn't seem to mind the idea. And neither of them cared which store they went to; really, Gohan just wanted to try on clothes that weren't secondhand.

Chi-Chi had good intentions, but sometimes they felt cheap. Even the "nice" suit he wore when Future Trunks returned to his time had been from a secondhand store.

"How's this one?" Gohan asked as he showed off the light blue casual button-up long sleeve shirt.

Yuki studied his friend's outfit. "Hmm... Hold on..." He walked over to the half-breed and rolled up the sleeves to his elbows. "There! That's _much_ better!" Gohan turned and looked in the mirror.

"Yeah, I like it," he agreed with a smile. Along with the shirt, he was wearing vintage wash teal jeans with a white belt. "Damn, I wish I could buy it. Mom would probably flip since she would make me pay you back, and that would probably take forever seeing as how she doesn't want me to get a job."

"Moms, being a pain in the ass since the beginning of time," Yuki joked.

"Moms, being there when you need them most, too," his friend added, though he wasn't scolding. Yuki only thought he was for a second before the green haired boy burst out laughing, and soon Gohan joined in.

About another hour later (after many yays and some nays), the boys were hungry for lunch. They laughed the whole way to the food court at the ugly turtleneck they had seen on their way out. " _Totally_ looks like something my great-grandma would have sewn for Christmas," Yuki laughed.

"Not even Mom would make that," Gohan chuckled.

"Oh man, and the _price_ , did you see that?"

"They're losing money, no doubt about it." They laughed some more, and it petered out as they continued onward. For a couple of minutes, it was silent between them, the only noise coming from the other shoppers around them.

"Hey." Gohan looked to his older friend, who for some reason had a sad smile. "Sorry I...kind of forced you into this," Yuki said.

"Don't say that!" Gohan argued. Yuki looked at him, surprised. "You promised this would be the only day, and I've had an awesome time! And I _needed_ a break. So thank you. Today's been awesome so far."

Yuki stared at him, and then he actually smiled. "You're welcome," he replied. "And I try. Don't worry, I have something special after lunch."

Gohan found himself excited for whatever his friend had planned, but first he had to curb his hunger. Yuki went to get a burger, and the half Saiyan decided he wanted noodles, specifically chicken udon. He got in line behind a girl with black wavy hair wearing a teal floral dress with a brown belt. The straps were tank top-like, and the dress went to about halfway down her thighs. She was wearing brown sandals with brown ankle warmers.

In short, the outfit was really cute.

Though he had absolutely zero idea as to why he was focusing on hers. There were plenty of girls who had outfits technically as cute as hers. So why...

"I'll take beef udon, please."

Because the girl wearing the outfit was Kat.

When Gohan realized that, he instantly blushed as his friend continued to order. It didn't even register that she wasn't in school; all that was in his head was that he had described her as "cute". Yes, she was, but Gohan had never _ever_ thought of her that way before.

"Um...sir?"

"Huh?" Gohan unintelligently asked as he was snapped out of his thoughts.

"Are you ready to order?" the man behind the counter questioned.

He jumped. How long had he been standing there thinking? "Right! Sorry." He quickly ordered his food, and then he left the counter, sighing as he did.

"Gohan?" He looked up at his name to find Kat staring at him in confusion.

The boy gulped. "H-hi," he squeaked.

Kat looked even more confused. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah!" he quickly assured. "Y-you just...caught me off guard, and, w-well, I didn't expect you to wear...that."

"Oh, this?" She showed off her dress, and Gohan blushed harder. "I actually just bought it. I saw it in one of the stores, and I really liked it. Though I don't know if my necklace really matched. I just couldn't rid of it, you know."

"Yeah," he agreed. Then something hit him. "Wait, you just bought it? What happened to school?"

"I ditched."

_What?!_

"I thought you had a test!" Gohan cried.

She gave him another confused look. "How do you-" She stopped, and then frowned before turning around and storming out. Gohan followed, wondering where she was going. Then he noticed they were going towards Yuki, who had found a table they could sit at. Kat walked over and slammed her hands down, making the green haired teen jump. "You bastard, you ditched without me?!"

"Well yeah, you had a test!" Yuki argued. "What happened to that?"

"That was first period, you jerk! Then I had pretty much nothing for the rest of the day! I _told_ you this!"

Gohan raised an eyebrow, asking for an explanation. "I forgot, okay?" Yuki sighed. "Besides, Bio was _really_ boring. I was going to _die_."

Kat huffed. "So what possessed you to invite Gohan?" she inquired. "You do realize if Chi-Chi catches him, we're _all_ going to get in trouble."

"Hey, I was lonely, and he should experience it just once."

"Mom isn't home anyway," Gohan added. "And she won't be home until tomorrow morning. Goten is with the babysitter and she won't bring him back until seven."

"If you say so..." Kat took her hands of the table, and Yuki decided to move to a four-person table. "By the way, have you taken him-"

" _After_ lunch," Yuki interrupted. "Come on, Kat, I know how this works. Don't you have faith in me?"

"Occasionally." Gohan chuckled.

Soon their food arrived, and the boys listened to how dumb Kat's test was...well, dumb by her standards. At some point Gohan...didn't tune her out, but just wasn't paying that much attention to her complaining, though he tried to look neutral. Yuki, on the other hand, had no problem showing his annoyance. He even started moving his mouth like he was talking for her.

"Oh, whatever," Kat grumbled when she finally noticed. Yuki smirked. "So, are we all done with lunch?"

"If you finally stop talking, yes," Yuki stated. Kat kicked him under the table.

They returned their trays, bowls, and utensils, and then Gohan's friends proceeded to lead him through the mall. He wondered where exactly they were taking him, but as they neared the eastern end of the mall he figured he knew what it was.

"The arcade?" Gohan realized.

"It's an off day must!" Kat confirmed happily. "I brought a lot of zeni, so we'll probably be set for the next two or three hours."

"I've never been to an arcade before," the male half Saiyan admitted.

His friends stopped and stared at him in disbelief. "We've _never_ brought you?" Yuki questioned.

"Well, we're obviously going to fix that!" Kat exclaimed. "Come on, let's go in already!"

For the next few hours, the three friends hung out in the arcade, and Gohan never had so much fun. Sure it would have been even more fun if Mitsumi was there as well, but they still had a great time as it was. There weren't many games Gohan remembered, not because they weren't fun, but because something comical didn't happen. One game, though, stuck out in his mind more than any other one:

 _War Zone_.

Truthfully, it was nothing more than a first-person shooter with the targets being zombies and hitmen. But Kat was the undefeated champion between her friends, and she had no trouble boasting it. Yuki rolled his eyes. "Gohan, wanna try?" he asked, in a way sounding like he was begging.

"Um, well, I-I don't know if I'll be all that good," he humbled.

Kat snickered. "Gohan's scared," she taunted.

"N-no I'm not!" Gohan retorted. "Fine, if you want me to, I'll take you on!"

"Prepare to lose," Kat chuckled darkly.

Gohan realized the trick to the game was little more than hand-eye coordination, and he had to be quick about it. He also had to avoid hitting innocence, otherwise he'd lose time and points. Kat pretty much had it down to a science, and against her human friends, she had them completely outclassed.

Against her fellow half-breed, Kat barely won.

"In your face!" Yuki cheered, not caring that Gohan hadn't actually won. The fact that Kat was so close to losing was good enough for him.

Not for Gohan, though. Suddenly he had the fire of competition course through him. "Another round!" he declared. "I'll win this time!"

"Not likely," Kat grunted, pissed that someone had gotten so close.

But in the next round, she had worse to worry about than the boy being close.

"Go... Gohan won," she muttered in disbelief as the game ended. Somewhere behind her, she heard the boys cheering in victory. "Oh shut up! Another round. You won't remain champion for long!"

Her friend mock cocked his gun and grinned. "Let's see what you've got," he challenged.

He had never felt more relaxed or happy before, and to think it was all because of a "day off".

...

Up in Other World, far away from Earth, Goku could sense something. It was this strange feeling of...dread? It couldn't actually be dread, could it? Confused, he stopped and looked towards the direction of his home planet.

Unfortunately, at the time he got distracted was possibly the _worst_ time to be distracted.

"Goku, dodge!" a woman's voice called out. Snapping out of his thoughts, the dead Saiyan turned his head just in time to receive a punch square in the face from Pikkon.

"OW, Pikkon!" he whined, holding his nose.

The other dead warrior blinked. "Oh, sorry, Goku," he stated. "I didn't realize you had stopped until it was too late."

"Maybe that'll teach you not to have your head in the clouds next time," the woman piped up, walking over to the two men.

Goku chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that," he said. "Not really sure what distracted me, anyway."

"That's the third time this week something has distracted you and you didn't know what it was," the woman pointed out. "Are you _absolutely_ sure there's nothing wrong?"

"Positive, Weuce," he assured. "Jeez, you weren't kidding when you said you and your people were paranoid." For that, he received another punch to the face, this time from the woman, who was quite clearly agitated. "OW! That wasn't very nice!"

Weuce huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't have an obligation to be nice when you insult me," she grumbled. "And for once I thought I found a Saiyan who wouldn't do that."

Goku frowned; he hated hurting Weuce's feelings, especially if it made her feel inferior and therefore brought up the apparent racism issue between his race and hers, but then he noticed the small, playful glint in her multishaded blue eyes, and he smiled.

"All I was trying to say was that maybe you should check and see if there's a problem of some sort," she continued. "Last thing we need is for Yemma to have his men search every inch of this place like he did when Hell broke loose...literally."

"I'm sure whatever it is, it's nothing to be concerned with," Pikkon replied.

"Yeah," Goku agreed. "Besides, there was something good, too."

"Something good?" Weuce repeated.

He nodded. "Somehow I have this feeling that Gohan is happy," Goku informed with a bigger smile than before.

"Your son?" Pikkon remembered. The Saiyan nodded.

"That's good," Weuce commented, smiling as well. "You really miss him, don't you?"

"Of course I do. You know the feeling," Goku brought up. The woman chuckled lightly and somberly, and he probably would have received yet another punch to the face, except that Weuce had since come to terms with her death a little over twelve years ago. "Now, how about we get back to sparring? I promise I won't lose focus this time."

Now Weuce laughed, pushing the old memories out of her mind. "You're no mystery, Goku," she teased. Goku just grinned childishly. "But you're going to be sparring with me for a bit."

"But I haven't finished with Pikkon," Goku countered. "And besides, you're-"

Instantly her ki shot up, and Goku gulped. "Wanna finish that sentence?" she threatened.

"No ma'am, I'm sorry!"

"That's what I thought." And she charged.

Pikkon sighed as the Saiyan dodged his new opponent's attacks. It was true she was weaker than Goku - and even himself for that matter - but Weuce had a fire, and you didn't dare to smother it out. Even after knowing her for a little over a year, Goku still slipped up from time to time. But as the spar went on, Pikkon smiled. "Gohan, you are one lucky kid to have a father like him," he muttered.


	21. The Stage Is Set

_DING DONG_

Kat's ears perked and she put down her book. "I'll get it, Bulma!" she called as she jumped off the living room couch. She ran to the front door and opened it up, and when she did she was met with a huge surprise. Of course, the person on the other side didn't seem to understand what was going on, either. So for a while the two just stared at each other in silence, trying to figure out something to say.

"Hey Kat, who's there-" Bulma stopped and stared at the visitor, almost dropping her can of soda in the process. "F-Future Trunks? Is that really you?"

The older version of her son raised his head to look at her and smiled. "Hi, Mom, it's nice to see you again," he greeted.

Bulma grinned brightly and ran up to the young man, and Kat had to move out of the way so she could hug him. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" she squealed. Future Trunks looked a bit sheepish but still kept his smile. "You look like you're doing well. How have things been going?"

"Great," the time traveler revealed. "I actually came back because I wanted to tell you guys something."

"Nothing bad, I hope."

Future Trunks chuckled. "No, don't worry." Bulma grinned again and parted from him, letting him come inside and close the door. "So, who is she?"

"I-I'm Kat," the girl introduced, still a little surprised. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he said with a gentle, polite smile. "Where's Dad?"

"Upstairs," Bulma answered. "Poor man. I forced him to try and put Trunks down for his nap. It's probably not going so well." Kat snickered and Future Trunks blushed. "I'll go relieve him. He'd most likely want to talk with you rather than try to make his son sleep." With a wink, the woman ran off.

"I do have to ask," Kat began when she was gone, "were you fussy when you were a baby?"

Her question made him blush redder. "I-I don't know," he stated, and Kat laughed.

"Hey, I'm just messing with you." Then she gave him a wink as well. "I mess with Vegeta all the time." He relaxed a bit and even let out a soft chuckle. "Would you like anything to drink? I wouldn't mind getting you something, and you know Bulma; she would pretty much demand you have whatever you want."

Now he relaxed completely as he laughed. "Milk, if they have it," he decided. "It's still kind of rare in the future, so I've been craving it for a while."

"Coming right up! Just go sit on the couch and I'll have it in a sec." Future Trunks nodded and made his way over while Kat went to the walk-in fridge. She hadn't wanted to be rude - besides, how would he know - but she really wanted to cry out, "Of course they have milk!" Seriously, it was a miracle if she and Vegeta didn't go through a gallon within less than a week.

Well, that's what the Brief household got for trying to feed two Saiyans after training.

Kat came back with a tall glass of milk and remembered her homework had been on the coffee table. Luckily, Future Trunks had moved it out of the way, but she still felt bad. "Sorry about the mess," she said as she reached the couch. "I was doing my homework, and I didn't expect anyone to be sharing it with me."

"I'm not distracting you from anything, am I?" he asked as he took the glass.

"Nah, this crap isn't due for another week," she brushed off. She jumped onto the couch and went for the remote. "So, is it okay if I rename you?"

He stopped his sip and stared at her. "What?"

"Well it's just going to be really confusing calling you Trunks, because I've known this Trunks since he was 10 months old, and I'd rather not call you Future Trunks all the time. It's a mouthful." He still seemed unsure. "Think of it like Vegeta calling Goku 'Kakarot'."

Still kind of unsure, he shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

"Okay!" Kat began to think of what to call him, and for whatever reason, while she was, her mind sidetracked to all of the Saiyago Vegeta had been teaching her lately. She did have to admit that learning about her ancestor tongue was pretty interesting, especially when she cursed Shigeru out the other day and he had no idea-

"That's it!" she suddenly exclaimed, making him jump a little. "How about Mirai!"

"Um...what? That's not a word I've ever heard before."

"See, Vegeta's been teaching me Saiyago - that's the native Saiyan language, fyi - lately, and mirai means future," she explained. "True, at that point I could call you 'Future', but that doesn't sound all that cool."

The young man smiled. "Guess so," he agreed. "Okay, that's fine."

"Great! That's going to make things easier on me big time!"

Mirai chuckled. "Why do I have the feeling you're the type who's a handful?" he teased.

"Because she can be," Vegeta grumbled, grumpily entering the living room.

Kat snickered lightly as she faced him. "Had fun?" she inquired.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "You're doing it next time," he demanded. "And don't think your homework will save you again. I knew I was right in suspecting it wasn't due tomorrow."

"Fool you once, shame on you," Kat laughed.

"The shame goes to you."

"Nice to see you haven't changed much, Dad," Mirai butt in.

In response, Vegeta grunted a hello. "Jeez, Vegeta, be ruder to our guest," Kat sarcastically remarked.

He rolled his eyes and went to the fridge, disappearing inside. "What the- where's the rest of the milk?" he questioned as he popped his head back out.

"Mirai wanted some, so I gave it to him," the girl replied. Mirai held up his glass to back her up.

His alternate timeline father wasn't pleased. "Fantastic," he mumbled.

"What? I told you he's a guest, so he gets special treatment. Think of him as royalty." Then she thought about something. "Well, technically..."

"I already am," Mirai realized, laughing lightly.

Again, Vegeta grunted and went to find something else to drink. He came back out with a glass of orange juice, and then he walked over to the cushioned chair. That's when he noticed another glass on the coffee table, and he glared at Kat. "First, I poured myself that glass before he got here," Kat defended. Then she smirked. "And second, you snooze you lose. Besides, you had more than me last week."

With a low growl, Vegeta crossed his arms and slightly pouted, looking like a child. " _Meiwakuna gaki_ ," he cursed.

"Hey!"

Deciding it wasn't worth knowing, Mirai changed the subject. "So how have you been, Dad?" he asked.

"Fine," he answered. Then _he_ smirked. "I just find myself babysitting this _gaki_ every now and then."

"Stop it!"

No, still wasn't worth knowing. "Why?"

"Because she pestered me enough."

"If by 'pester' you mean 'made a convincing argument that you agreed to', then yes," Kat countered, annoyed by his Saiyago taunts.

"And what would that be?" Mirai wondered.

"That Goku wouldn't want him giving up what Vegeta likes just because he's gone," she stated.

That caught Mirai off guard. "Oh. So you two train together?" Kat nodded. "Wow, that's amazing." Then the young man thought of an idea. "Hey, do you want to spar with me?"

Kat immediately jumped up, stars in her eyes. "You really want to?" she squealed.

Mirai laughed. "Guess I don't have a choice now," he pointed out.

"You'll lose, Kat," Vegeta decided.

She whipped around. "You don't know that!" she shot back.

He smirked with a challenging look in his eyes. "Sure I do. He's older, and he has more experience."

"I can win!" Kat declared, her tail unconsciously uncoiling from around her waist to whip in determination. Mirai barely dodged the appendage, and then he stared at it in bewilderment.

"You...you have a tail?" he observed, his eyes wide.

The younger half-breed turned her head to look at him, and then she smiled. "Yeah," she said. "I guess I forgot to tell you. I'm a half Saiyan, too."

"I...see," he muttered in surprise. A few seconds later he sat up straight, his surprise replaced with curiosity. "Wait, then where were you? I mean, Goku was the only full blooded Saiyan who lived on Earth, and only Dad and those other two ever touched down here... At least, that's how history went, right?"

"It is," Kat confirmed. "But who my parents are is the million zeni question."

"O-oh!" Mirai exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

But Kat shook her head, interrupting him. "It's okay, you didn't know," she brushed off. "Besides, I'll find them."

Mirai smiled in relief and encouragement. "Yeah, one day you'll find them," he agreed. "So, do you want to spar right now?"

"Yeah!" Kat responded enthusiastically. "Before we do, though, I'm going to ask Bulma if she can get everyone to come over. I bet you'd like to see them again."

"I would," he replied.

Luckily, Bulma had the same idea, and when Kat and Mirai went to ask, she told them it had already been taken care of. "Great, company," Vegeta grunted.

"Oh hush, you," Bulma scolded teasingly. "Let Future Trunks say hi to everyone; I don't see how that's a crime." Her husband huffed. "Though I don't know if you two should spar right now," she continued, looking at the two hybrids. "I know you want to - especially you, Kat - but everyone is probably going to be here soon. I predict you two would barely get a minute in."

Kat groaned, disappointed, but she understood. "Alright," she reluctantly agreed.

"Hey, don't worry, I'll spar with you before I leave," Mirai brought up.

"Really?" Kat asked.

"Really," he promised. The girl smiled.

They went back downstairs and flipped through a few channels to find one to put on as background noise for when everyone showed up. It didn't take the others very long to do so; hell, the two hybrids felt Gohan jump to Super Saiyan 2 just to see his old friend faster.

"Trunks!" he shouted happily as he burst into Capsule Corp. The boy looked to the couch and beamed before launching for the time traveler and hugging him, which almost sent both of them to the floor. "It's so great to see you!"

Mirai laughed. "Same to you, Gohan," he replied.

"What are you doing back here?" the black haired boy questioned.

"We have to wait for everyone else," Kat informed.

Gohan turned to her, blushing apologetically when he realized, in his haste to greet Mirai, he had knocked Kat onto the floor. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt and she didn't look angry. "He hasn't told you guys yet?" he inquired, deciding to glance over his foolishness.

"All we know is that it's not bad news," the girl stated. "We just have to wait, but at the rate everyone's coming, it shouldn't take long."

Sure enough, a few seconds after she said that, Krillin and Yamcha ran in, with 18 and Puar calmly following behind them (well, 18 was calm; Puar had a big grin on her face). "Trunks!" the men called out. Mirai decided to get off the couch this time.

"How's it been goin', man?" Yamcha greeted with a grin and a quick pat to the teen's back.

"Everything's going pretty well," Mirai reported.

"That's good to hear!" Krillin chuckled. "So, what brings you back?"

"Well, I-" He finally noticed 18, and he immediately dropped into a defensive position. "What are _you_ -"

"Whoa, hey, it's cool!" Kat soothed. "18's really nice. Would we be alive if she wasn't?"

Mirai looked at the girl and opened his mouth before closing it and looking back at 18, who smirked just a tad. The teen relaxed and sighed. "I guess not," he replied. "Sorry. Force of habit." The cyborg shrugged. Then Chiaotzu suddenly floated in, with Tien right behind him. The two friends noticed Mirai and smiled.

"Hey, you're back!" Chiaotzu cried happily.

"It's great to see you again," Tien commented.

"Likewise," the teen stated.

"Okay, okay, everyone's here, so tell us!" Gohan pleaded, his eyes shining in excitement.

The time traveler chuckled at his enthusiasm. "But what about Piccolo?" he pointed out.

"He's up at the Lookout, like always," Kat told him. "He probably knows you're here, but of course he has to be the spoilsport like Vegeta."

No one stopped the Saiyan Prince when he shoved Kat to the floor; she was kind of asking for that one.

"Anyway," Mirai began after Kat picked herself up and grumbled out a few harsh words, "like I said, everything's been going really well. You see, after I got home, I took care of the androids." Immediately he looked at 18 and smiled nervously. "Um, no offense, but you and 17 weren't good people in my future."

"So I've heard," she nonchalantly responded. "Don't worry, kid, it's another me, not actually me."

"And by the way, 17 and 18 are cyborgs, not androids," Kat interjected.

"Semantics," Gohan muttered. "But then what happened? What about Cell? Did he ever show up?"

He nodded. "We've been rebuilding for the last three years," Mirai explained. "I asked Mom if I could take a break to come back and tell you guys about 17 and 18. Before I got into the time machine, though, Cell showed up. Luckily, after all of that training with Dad in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, it was really easy to beat him." There was a round of cheers and applause, and Mirai blushed at the attention. "So really, right now, the world's at peace." The smile on his face turned sad, and his eyes grew somber. "And I'm its sole protector."

"Hey, hold on, what about me?" Kat asked. "I mean, maybe I survived. Sure, you'd have to train me...a lot, but it wouldn't hurt to try."

"Well... I guess it wouldn't," Mirai agreed. "You'd be hard to find, though."

"How many other Kats could there possibly be, especially with lapis lazuli eyes?"

Mirai opened his mouth, wanting to say that her eyes were just like any other blue eyes - even his own - but then he closed it and studied them quickly. "Huh, what do you know, they are," he realized. "It still might be a challenge, but I think you have a point." Kat beamed.

Suddenly 18 started laughing... _hard_. Not even Krillin had seen her laugh this hard. "Oh, oh my- g-guys, you h- _have_ to see the TV!" she instructed through her random fit.

Confused, the group looked to the TV, and they instantly found out what she was laughing about.

Four burly men in ridiculously flashy outfits and covered in body paint came out of what was supposed to be a spaceship, with the announcer on the TV claiming they were from four different galaxies. Even if there were aliens out there who looked like the four men (it wasn't _totally_ impossible, they figured), there was a high chance the Z Warriors would be able to sense out their ki - something that just wasn't possible. Then suddenly _Vegeta_ started laughing hard, and everyone looked at him.

"I'll give you Earthlings this," he laughed, "you certainly have impressive imagination!"

Kat gave out a long, exasperated sigh. "I thought he was over that," she mumbled under her breath.

The news changed from the space station to Central City Plaza. "Joining us now is the sponsor of this unprecedented event," a male reporter continued. "World famous millionaire, X.S Cash."

"Get it? It's cause he's rich," Krillin dully stated.

"Maybe he should trade it in for excess brain cells instead," Yamcha sighed.

"Actually, the credit should go to my son, Monty," the millionaire humbled. Just then the little kid next to him, wanting attention, held out a dragon and Mr. Satan doll, and the Z Warriors heard a groan and a _THUNK_ as Kat slammed her head onto the coffee table.

"It's for his birthday," Monty's mother explained. "Our psychiatrist loved the idea."

"Get a new one," everyone in the living room commented.

Mr. Cash promised his son he was getting the strongest aliens money could buy, and while the actual aliens (and the two half aliens) rolled their eyes, the producer explained. "Monty's birthday present is going to be something the whole world can enjoy! The richest man in the world is about to produce the biggest martial arts tournament in history!" he proclaimed.

"Wait, this is all for a tournament?" Mirai questioned.

"That's it!" Krillin declared. "How about we show the world those guys are nothing but frauds?"

"But you're human, Krillin," Gohan pointed out. "That's not exactly going to prove anything."

"True, but if you, Trunks, Kat, and Vegeta participate, then we will be!" the bald man countered.

"Well, I've always wanted to participate in a tournament," Kat voiced, her excitement overshadowing her annoyance. "Why not? I agree, Krillin, let's bust those clowns!"

"Count me in as well," Tien jumped in. "It's been a while since I've had a good fight." Chiaotzu immediately shook his head, saying he wouldn't enter.

Yamcha chuckled. "Maybe I'll go, too," he said. Puar cheered for him.

"Hey, maybe you and I will get that spar in, Kat," Mirai piped up. The girl's eyes began to shine, while Yamcha's face paled.

"It depends on when it is, but maybe I can convince Mom if I can join!" Gohan added. "Especially if there's prize money, and there's no doubt there will be." Yamcha paled even more, and even Krillin began to falter ( _Even though_ _ **I'm**_ _the one who brought it up, me and my big mouth_ , he thought), but after a while the former monk agreed with a grin.

Throughout all of the planning, Vegeta watched the group interact with curiosity and calculation, his eyes mostly on the half Saiyan girl. "Then I guess we keep watching," 18 stated, bringing the Prince's attention away from his thoughts. "No doubt they'll tell us a date, and when they do you _know_ I'll sign up to take that money for myself."

"We'll see about that!" Kat challenged.

The report went on, and they learned the prize money was going to be 100 million zeni, which pretty much secured Gohan's place in the tournament if the date was good. But before it got to the date of the tournament, the news got...well, it was good and bad.

"He, she, or it will get a chance to challenge the most revered champion fighter to ever step into the ring," Mr. Cash reported.

"Gee, we're all holding our breath in suspense," Krillin commented, going back to his unamused and sarcastic attitude as the "world's hero" did his usual, flashy, and dumbass routine. Suddenly there was a dark aura in the room, and everyone looked to Kat, who was grinning and chuckling darkly.

"Forget the fraud aliens, I want to expose _that_ fraud," she vowed, and then there was an evil twinkle in her eye.

Mirai walked over to Vegeta. "So... I see she's learned a lot more than fighting from you," he whispered. Normally, Vegeta would have smirked or made some sound of amusement, but instead he just continued to stare at the girl. The future version of his son caught on to it and gave him a curious look. "Dad, is something wrong?" He didn't answer, and then he stood up.

"Kat." Everyone looked at him. "Mind if I talk to you for a second?" She was confused but nodded and followed him down the hallway. The group was just as confused but decided to ignore it and wait for the announcement of the date.

"What is it, Vegeta?" Kat asked when they were in the second floor living room.

He stared her down, and Kat raised an eyebrow to it, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Kat, I don't think you should enter," he finally said.

" _What_?!" Kat yelled. "Why?"

"I think you'll get yourself-"

"Oh no, we are _not_ going over this again," she grumbled. "Vegeta, it's been more than a _year_ , I'll be _fine_. It's just a bunch of humans, what could _possibly_ happen?"

Again he stared her down in silence, and then he huffed. "I suppose you're right," he reluctantly agreed.

"Just 'suppose'?" Kat grumbled. "Do you seriously not believe in me, in the thousands and thousands of hours you've put in to help me?"

"No," he answered, not changing his blank expression.

"Then what don't you have faith in?"

"Nothing."

Kat grunted. "You're lying."

The man didn't answer for a while, and then he stood up from the couch. "I won't be going," he told her.

That surprised her. "Why?"

"I don't see the point," he replied.

 _Well, I guess that makes sense,_ Kat thought with a tad bit of sadness. _I_ _ **was**_ _the one who said it's just a bunch of humans. Of course he wouldn't see the point in fighting weak opponents._ She decided to brighten her mood. "Guess you'll just have to cheer Mirai and I on," she stated with a bright smile.

"Did you not hear me?"

Her smile dropped completely. "Wait...then..."

Vegeta didn't let her finish her thought as he walked away. Kat watched him go in shock, and then she looked at the ground, disheartened.

"Hey Kat, what did Vegeta want to talk to you about?" Krillin asked when she got back to the first floor.

"Oh, he was just saying how Mirai and Gohan are going to wipe the floor with me," Kat quickly lied. "I told him that won't happen, and then he walked off, saying he didn't want to enter cause almost everyone is weaker than him."

Krillin laughed. "That sounds like him alright," he noted. "Um, by the way, who's Mirai?"

"That's the name she gave me because she didn't want to confuse me and this time's Trunks," Mirai revealed. "And I guess Future Trunks is a mouthful." Krillin laughed again.

"Back on topic, you lucked out, Kiddo," 18 grunted. "The tournament's on March 18th, and I'm at my brother's helping him out at the reservation."

"Awesome!" Kat exclaimed. "That's the weekend Spring Break begins! Don't worry about it, 18, I'm sure you'll get another chance to break my arms."

The group hoped that was a joke.

Days passed, and the tournament was upon them. Bulma had a huge fit when she realized Vegeta didn't want to come, even just to spectate, but she decided it wasn't worth the energy to fight it. She, Mirai, and Kat piled into the capsule plane, with the three-year-old Trunks holding Kat's hand. "Kat's going to do great!" the little boy proclaimed.

Kat smiled at him, and behind her she heard Mirai grumble, "I can't believe I'm not rooting for myself." She giggled lightly.

They flew towards the tournament, and all three half Saiyans stared at Battle Island in awe when they approached. "That's so cool!" Kat breathed.

"Where do you think all of the fighting is going to take place?" Mirai wondered.

"We'll find out soon, don't worry," Bulma replied with a smile as she watched the eager kids.

Bulma landed her plane, and once they were outside it, she capsulized it and put it in her purse before following the three kids. Both Kat and Trunks had taken off, with Mirai after them, calling after them to slow down and wait for the blue haired woman. Thankfully, she caught up with them at a map showing them where registration was.

"I can't wait!" Kat exclaimed as they walked to the booth. "I'm totally winning today!"

"What exactly are you going to do with 100 million zeni?" Bulma chuckled.

"Give some of it to 18 and Chi-Chi, and maybe 17 as well," she stated. "It's not like I have any actual use for it."

"Maybe we can go on vacation if you win, Trunks!" Bulma squealed. Mirai sighed. They registered and learned the rules of the tournament: on each of the eight stages, fighters had to fight each other in a free style battle royal, and participants were disqualified if they fainted, surrendered, or fell into the water below; of course, killing and the use of weapons were prohibited. The last one on each stage moved to the quarter finals.

"Hey guys!" Gohan called out. The group of four looked towards him, Goten, and Chi-Chi, who was also with Krillin, Master Roshi, and Oolong. They smiled at the other group and met up with them. "Good to see you got here. Did you register?"

"Yep!" Kat reported. "Do you know if Tien and Yamcha registered?"

"Yeah. I don't know where they went, though. Oh, and Piccolo's here, too!"

Krillin jumped. "Wait, you never said you'd invite Piccolo!" he cried. Everyone laughed.

"Hey Kat, wanna make a bet?" Gohan offered.

"Gohan, you can't do that! That's delinquent behavior!" Chi-Chi scolded.

"Sure! Name the stakes!" Kat accepted, ignoring her friend's mom.

"Don't encourage him, Kat! Why are you setting a bad example for my son?!"

Chi-Chi continued to be ignored. "It can't be how many we beat, since we all have to fight the same amount of people," Kat reminded.

He grinned. "True, which is why it'll be how _fast_ we can beat them," he explained.

"Okay, you're on!" the girl accepted. "When it comes to quickness, there's no one who can beat me! And no transformations, either."

"I wouldn't need to be Super Saiyan to beat you," Gohan promised. "And winner decides the prize." He grinned even wider. "I already have something in mind."

Kat smirked. "Too bad you won't be winning," she replied.

"Are you two even listening to me?!" Chi-Chi shrieked.

Once again, the preteens ignored her.

Soon the participants - all 200 of them - were called to the rings, and Chiaotzu scrambled the order so that the Z Warriors didn't have to fight each other. As soon as she stepped into her ring, Kat was met with snickers and taunts for being young and a girl, and she sighed.

"Men," she muttered in annoyance. The bell rang for the tournament to start, and she immediately punched one of her opponents so far he instantly fell into the water below. The other fighters stared at her, and she grinned evilly. "So..." She cracked her knuckles. "Who's next?"

Gohan, having seen his friend's stunt, sighed but chuckled. "Shouldn't be surprised," he told himself. He ducked out of the way of a kick before returning one of his own and knocking the man unconscious. Gohan chuckled nervously. "Uh, whoops, didn't mean to kick that hard."

All of the Z Warriors passed the preliminaries with flying colors...well, all expect Yamcha. The poor man had given up because of the difference in power between him and his friends and ended up falling off the tower he had been lying on and into the ocean. It was pretty close to who was faster, but Gohan ended up winning by mere seconds. Kat pouted.

"Man, and I really wanted some takoyaki," she grumbled when they met up at an overlook after Gohan easily won his quarter final match.

"Well, you can still get some," Gohan pointed out with a grin.

"The point was for _you_ to buy them," Kat replied. "As if it isn't bad enough that I have to fight some lame sumo guy, now _I_ have to do what you want." She sighed. "Alright, what do you want?"

" _After_ the tournament," he revealed. The half-breed poked her nose, making her frown and glare in annoyance. "Don't want you distracted while you fight that lame sumo guy and the semifinals." He chuckled childishly. "You're going to need all the concentration you can get with me and Trunks there."

Kat stuck out her tongue. "You're a terrible friend." Gohan just laughed. To distract herself, Kat looked around and noticed the stage was all set. "Hey look, it's Tien and Mirai!"

"Come on, Trunks, you can do it!" Gohan cheered.

They watched the short but exciting match between the triclops and the half Saiyan, and predictably Mirai won. Right after them was Piccolo and Krillin, and there was no real doubt Piccolo would win. But, being bored with the tournament, Piccolo gave Krillin the win and left, leaving everyone speechless. "See? He and Vegeta are killjoys," Kat repeated. "I don't see why Vegeta was so offended by that."

"I still can't believe he didn't come at all," her friend commented.

The half-breed female slumped her shoulders. "Maybe I didn't do as good of a job convincing him as I thought," she muttered.

"Hey, it's not like he lost _all_ spirit," Gohan assured. "He's training you, right? Don't beat yourself up."

"It's just...for whatever reason, I feel like he's going easier on me now," Kat stated. "I mean, when we trained my tail he was strict, but once I got comfortable it's like he just stopped putting in the effort. It was the same before we discovered my tail, too."

"Maybe something's on his mind," the black haired boy hypothesized. "I wouldn't worry about it, alright?"

She nodded, and then she noticed the announcer was saying her match was up. "Well, I'm off to get my spot in the top 4," she said.

"Good luck!" Gohan called out as she left, even though they both knew she wouldn't need it.

...

Weuce blinked as she watched the TV, and then she looked back at her fellow card players. "Hey Goku, there's a girl who's pretty much like your friends," she noted.

Goku peeked out from behind his hand. "Really?" he questioned.

"Yeah, apparently she lifted the heaviest sumo wrestler in the world with just one hand with ease and then threw him into the ocean," she informed. "I don't know how she did it, but she's strong like all of those guys. They all moved on to the semifinals, by the way."

"Yep, it's Trunks, Krillin, Gohan, and that girl all in the semifinals," King Kai stated.

"Really?!" Now Goku was excited. "That's my boy!" He looked at the screen while he reached for Bubbles' hand, not paying attention to which card he was choosing. "Kat, huh? You know, she looks really familiar."

The woman watched Bubbles' sly face as Goku took one of the cards with a sly grin of her own. "How so?" Weuce asked.

"Dunno, I'd probably have to look a- ah! No, not the Joker!" the Saiyan cried. Weuce and Bubbles snickered. "Weuce, you jerk, you knew I was going to pull that card, didn't you?"

"Hehe, _maybe~_ ," she sang.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"And ruin any chance I have to win? No way, Mr. Hero! Although too bad you spilled out your secret; no one's gonna pull from your hand now!" Goku pouted as Bubbles and Gregory cheered.

Then there was a sudden chill that ran down Goku's spine. He looked out into the yellow and pink clouds. "What...what is this?" he muttered.

"Goku? Is something wrong?" his dead companion inquired.

"I don't know, it's just this-"

"Ugh, again with the _feeling_ ," Weuce complained. "What _is_ it already?"

He frowned. "If I say I don't know, I don't know," he pointed out. Weuce sighed.

"Hey guys, the semifinals are going to start against those 'aliens'," King Kai announced with a little chuckle. "Wanna watch?"

"Tell me when something interesting happens," the woman replied in a bored and annoyed tone, still miffed about Goku's undecided feelings. The man himself, meanwhile, wasn't really paying attention anymore, wondering exactly what made him feel the way he was.


	22. Bojack Unbound

_Oh yeah, sure_ _. C_ _omplain that_ _ **someone's**_ _rooting for you,_ Kat grumbled as she looked at Gohan and Mirai blushing - courtesy of their mothers - and Krillin scowling at Oolong. _Who's got my back? Apparently no one._

The four fighters had been transferred to Battle Island II (which was actually just a giant dome on the same island) and were standing in front of pods that were in front of rollercoaster-type tracks, waiting for the rules of the semifinals since it clearly wasn't like the fights from before.

"We've got four tunnels running underground," the announcer finally began. "Each of them lead to a battle zone, and the fighters will be transported via the shuttles in front of them. There they will fight our special guests: fighters from across the galaxies!"

"Yep, and I'm 100% human," Kat muttered. Her friends looked equally unimpressed.

"Once a fight ends, the challenge isn't over!" the announcer continued, grabbing their attention. "The victor must take a special lift and be the first to return to the center stage. The winner will then proceed to the final round against Mr. Satan!"

"So we won't be fighting each other," Mirai realized.

"Hey Kat, you can still win if you beat me back!" Gohan called out. "Of course, if I win, I get _double_!"

"I'll win this time, you'll see!" Kat proclaimed.

Krillin chuckled. "Well, if it's a race, then that means I have the advantage," he stated. Then he rubbed his hand over his bald head. "After all, I do have the least wind resistance."

The four fighters jumped into their pods, and the doors closed above them. Soon after, a countdown from 10 started, and the closer it got to zero, the more excited Kat became. She found it kind of strange since she figured it would take one punch and then she would be on her way, but maybe it was because it was the thrill of the race. She even began counting down with the rest of the crowd as she held on tight to the safety bar.

"4..."

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

"Start this rollercoaster!" Kat exclaimed excitedly.

As soon as the countdown hit zero, the pods were off, racing through the tunnels to their destinations, and it was literally like a virtual reality rollercoaster. Kat whooped and hollered the whole way until her pod came to an abrupt stop, and when she looked around, she realized she was surrounded by an ocean of deep desert sand. She frowned, unamused.

"Fantastic," she grumbled. The girl hit the open button on her pod. "You have two men and a preteen boy, and instead you give the desert to the girl."

Kat jumped out and began walking around. Thankfully, while the virtual reality sand was deep and thick like real sand, the desert wasn't hot like one. _Though there are some cold deserts, I guess,_ Kat thought as she looked for her opponent. Where the hell was he? _It's just that this one kind of looks like a hot, dry desert, and-_

Suddenly there was a large ki from behind her and the sound of sand shifting. Startled, she jumped into the air before looking back at the ground. There was a man with dark teal skin, an orange Mohawk and goatee, and light blue eyes. He wore pointy yellow earrings and a necklace that matched, a purple vest with nothing underneath, yellow gloves, white baggy pants, and yellow boots. He was smirking...

And he certainly wasn't human.

Kat gulped. "Wh-who are you?" she questioned, trying to sound demanding.

The alien didn't answer her, though. He just chuckled slowly and quietly, and Kat began to grow scared. "I was hoping I could grab you by the neck and choke you to death," he revealed, and Kat flinched. "In fact, I was envisioning doing so to the man you beat earlier. But it seems you are far more capable than other Earthlings. Perhaps you will make it fun for me this time."

This time...

"You... You killed the Intergalactic Fighters, didn't you?!" she accused, both frightened and angry.

"And much too quickly to my liking," the alien replied smugly. "Make this kill fun, prey."

Immediately, knowing there was no way she could take this guy on by herself, Kat shot off in the opposite direction, and the alien began to follow her. She flashed her ki, hoping that maybe Mirai would pick up on his distress. _Somebody..._ _ **anybody!**_

"I said make this fun!" he yelled after her, sounding angry. Kat looked back, but realized - from the amused look on his face - he was toying with her. Realizing there was no way to shake him, Kat decided to take the chance.

She quickly charged up and fired a ki blast, and it hit him square in the face. Though, once the smoke cleared, it was easy to see he _let_ it hit him.

 _I'm so dead!_ Kat squeaked. Just as she thought that, he charged, and in the blink of an eye he had punched her in the gut _hard_. All of the air escaped from her lungs, and before she passed out, she began crying names out in her head.

_Vegeta..._

That was the last one she heard before the whole world went black.

...

Mirai immediately sensed Kat's energy drop, as had Krillin's only a minute or two before. Something wasn't right.

Of course, he could tell just by the dark teal alien _he_ was fighting.

First, he was strong, especially with his sword. Red flag, right out of the gate. It also made Mirai very jealous since he left his new sword (that he had been _dying_ to try out) back at Capsule Corp. with his father. Second, he was relentless. Either he didn't care about the rules or he was actually out for blood. Mirai banked on the latter. Third...

Two of his friends' kis just dropped like rocks!

If he was going to save them, he had to finish this guy off first.

Suddenly, his earrings and necklace glowed, and Mirai felt the alien's power rise even further.

 _Oh, this can't be good,_ he thought glumly.

All he could do was watch as his opponent's skin turned to a light greenish-yellow, his orange spiky hair went red, and the black jacket he had on was torn to shreds from the muscle increase (though thankfully not the white baggy pants or the yellow boots; Mirai sometimes - and for reasons even he didn't understand - contemplated why only shirts were ever torn away, though that wasn't to say he wasn't grateful the pants _didn't_ come off).

Soon Mirai found himself in a different section of the battle zone, one that didn't look like he was about to go on a picnic. Instead, he was now fighting in a small town, and thoroughly getting his ass kicked. After flying through a building and being kicked to the concrete, he had enough.

"Now surrender!" the alien demanded, unsheathing his sword.

He obviously wasn't going to, not anytime soon. As he struggled to his feet the alien thrust his sword down. With a spilt second decision, Mirai turned Super Saiyan and blocked the sword with his arm, breaking it in the process. Then he punched the alien through the stomach, and he gasped for a bit before falling to the floor, dead.

 _Huh,_ Mirai realized as he stared at the body. _I never got his name._

Then from behind him, there was a _huge_ power level. It was far bigger from the one he had been fighting, the one that had knocked out Kat, and the one that had knocked out Krillin _combined_. He turned to meet whoever possessed it, only to be kicked to the ground before he could even catch a glimpse.

And before he went unconscious, in his mind he cried out, _Father..._

...

As if it weren't bad enough that Kat was down, now his son was too? This wasn't good, not at all.

Vegeta had been relaxing on the bed in his old room, watching the first half of the tournament on TV up until Mirai's fight with Tien. Scoffing at the young man and the black haired girl, he turned it off before lying back and closing his eyes, meditating.

But now both of them were down to powers clearly not belonging to the fake aliens they had seen on the announcement, and as he grabbed Mirai's scabbard he chastised himself.

"What could possibly happen, what could _possibly_ happen?" he hissed. "You know that's a red flag, _especially_ when it comes to Kat. Oh, but nooo, _you_ couldn't be bothered to even _go_. And if they die on you... If they _die on you_..."

He thought about the gasp of breath Mirai had before he died from loss of blood against Cell. He thought about Kat crying over how scary she thought Other World was. Growling, he flew out of Capsule Corp. at blinding speeds.

_Trunks... Kat... Don't you_ _**dare** _ _die on me before I get there!_

...

"Earth is in grave danger," King Kai suddenly stated, startling the two dead adults out of their new card game.

"From what?" Goku questioned urgently, he and Weuce standing up to join the deity in looking out towards Earth.

"You mean _who_ ," King Kai corrected. "Bojack."

There was an audible gulp from Goku thanks to his mentor's serious tone while Weuce became thoughtful. "He sounds eerily familiar," she commented. "Who exactly is he?"

"A dark demon of the worst sort," the deity explained. "Psychotic, unstable, filled with malice and rage. Long ago, he and his group, the Galaxy Soldiers of Planet Hera, tried to destroy planets in all four galaxies: north, south, east, and west."

Weuce's eyes went wide before she hid behind Goku, grabbing the back of his shirt tightly. "That's right, Papa told me about him when I was young," she squeaked. "He's second only to Cooler in terms of genocide in the Southern Galaxy!"

"Correct, my dear," King Kai replied. "We - the Kais - took it upon ourselves to stop him. All four of us fought together, and sealed him in a star at the edge of the northern galaxy. That is, until you set him free by destroying my planet in your battle against Cell, Goku."

The Saiyan looked extremely guilty, but then went to a confused look. "Hold on, that was almost three years ago," he pointed out. "Why is he only going now?"

"Perhaps he needed this long to regain his strength," the North Kai proposed. "Or perhaps it took him that long to reach Earth. Either way, he has returned for vengeance, and it looks like his first target is Earth."

Goku smirked. "Then he's already defeated," he declared. "My son will stop him."

"Let's hope so, Goku," Weuce muttered. "Let's hope so."

...

The landscape changed again as Gohan flew away from his pursuer. Now he was on the outskirts of a dreary-looking city, coming up on some ruins of destroyed buildings.

He didn't like the foreboding feeling he had, not one bit.

And it didn't help that, right before he landed, he saw Mirai and Kat being thrown on top of Krillin, all three of them unconscious.

Things were not looking too well.

Gohan ran up to his friends, calling out their names and desperately trying to get them to wake.

"Company," came a deep, threatening voice. "Good..." Keeping his sudden pang of fear in check, Gohan looked up and glared at two aliens in front of him.

But neither of them were the owners of the voice.

That belonged to the one who walked slowly out of the shadows.

"It's been so long since I've snapped someone's neck," he continued on calmly (which made it all the more threatening) as he stepped out of the doorway.

He had teal skin just like the two beside him and the one that had chased Gohan, and he had dark blue eyes and long orange hair. He wore a black bandana, a blue long sleeved trench coat that was red on the inside and open so his muscled chest showed, white baggy pants, a black sash belt, and yellow-and-black boots. Just like his fellow aliens, he had pointy yellow earrings and a necklace...well, five of them actually.

None of that really mattered to Gohan, though.

What mattered was how _powerful_ he was.

Dare Gohan say this man was almost as powerful as Cell, maybe even more so. Taking one of those monsters was bad enough, now he had to take down another _plus_ three grunts? The odds didn't look good, and all of that made Gohan finally find himself trembling. But he quickly steeled his nerve and stood up, just as Tien and Yamcha flew onto the scene.

Help was help, even if Gohan still didn't like the odds.

"You murders," Tien growled. "You killed the Intergalactic Fighters."

"They were trespassing," Gohan's pursuer argued calmly, almost smugly, as he landed somewhere behind them. "Earth belongs to my master now." The two aliens by the "master" kneeled, and the man chuckled.

"Oh yeah?" the half Saiyan challenged.

"Not while we're still breathing," Yamcha vowed.

The alien on the master's left stood up. "Master Bojack has no equal," he declared.

"The universe is littered with the bones of those who dare to think otherwise," the woman added, rising as well.

Gohan was admittedly surprised the woman was there at all. While her power was on par with the other henchmen, she seemed...out of place. There was a gentle air to her, much like there had been around Android 16. Her sentence seemed forced, like she had spent hours practicing in front of a mirror to not flinch. And even with her similar skin, hair, eyes, and uniform to the others, she almost felt like an outsider.

"Master is not patient," the alien behind them warned, snapping the preteen out of his weird, random thought of sympathy. "You would be wise to stand down." There was a pause, and Gohan moved his head slightly to see that he was still kneeling, but he was eyeing the three Earthlings condescendingly and with a giant smirk on his face. "Or better yet, kneel."

"We'll pass, thanks!" Yamcha shouted, he and Tien getting into fighting stances before leaping for the aliens.

Unfortunately, it ended as quickly as Gohan thought it would.

Once again the half Saiyan found himself alone in the fight as Yamcha slid into the pile of his three knocked out friends, suffering the same condition they were, and Tien was defeated somewhere behind him. Knowing that it would be stupid to do anything but, Gohan instantly went to Super Saiyan, ready to try and take on the four at once.

Even for a Super Saiyan that seemed like a stretch.

The henchmen that had been by Bojack's side leapt for the boy, but he sprang back and elbowed his pursuer. Then he flew into the air and out of the way of a punch from the bigger man before grabbing his arm and tossing him to the ground. The woman took her chance, flying towards Gohan, who decided to fire a ki blast at her. Unfortunately, she batted it down, and the bigger man used that opportunity to fire four red ki beams at Gohan. He dodged them, and they hit the ceiling of the dome, once again reminding the Saiyan that he was in a tournament.

With the world watching.

 _Again_.

Couldn't he just catch a break once in his life?

All three of them charged, and with nowhere to go, Gohan found himself slammed into the dome and crashing into another sector. It looked like another portion of the city, except it looked much more intact. Thankfully, Gohan was able to gain control of his descent and landed on an exposed steel beam, but before he even had a second to recover he had the woman and the shorter man on either side.

 _Okay, I need names for these guys so I can tell them apart,_ Gohan quickly thought. _Um... The bigger man is Bido, the short one is Bujin, and the woman... I've got nothing. Jeez, where did I get those names anyway-_

Suddenly Bujin threw a punch, and Gohan narrowly dodged it before he had to counter the woman's kick with a punch of his own. They went for a bit longer before Bido flew up, distracting Gohan, which allowed Bujin to knee him in the stomach and then slam his fists into the preteen's back, sending him crashing through the beam and two stone bridges. Once again, he was thankfully able to get back his balance and landed on the rooftops.

 _Note to self: don't get distracted,_ he thought.

Just as he did, Bido smashed his way through the roof and went to strike a kick to his temple. Luckily, Gohan blocked it and countered with a punch. When the man flew back, Bujin appeared and punched the Earthling in the stomach. Not taking even a millisecond to shake it off, Gohan backhanded him back, only to dodge a kick from the woman in an instant.

 _These guys just won't let up,_ Gohan grunted as he flew higher, and the woman immediately followed him.

For what felt like hours, Gohan dodged and countered all three of the henchmen, until they began to gain the upper hand when Bujin sent him crashing through a tower. Just as he was beginning to rise to his feet, he felt Bido's power escalate, and there was a red light.

_Oh, this won't be fun._

...

"Kat... Kat, come on, wake up."

In response, Kat let out a long, low groan, feeling like she had been slammed by a million hard cover Trig textbooks. She very slowly opened her eyes to find Mirai standing above her. He looked pretty banged up, but at least he was standing, and that had to mean something.

"Mirai?" she questioned groggily.

"Good, you're awake," he observed with a relieved smile. Then he frowned a little. "How do you feel?"

"I think Vegeta's gonna kill me for saying, 'What could possibly happen'."

Mirai blinked before he shook his head and sighed good naturally. "I don't think I'll ever be able to understand the thoughts in your head," he commented.

Kat frowned, unamused. "Can you just help me up?" she requested dryly. "I feel like my school just dropped its supply of math books on my stomach."

"Only proving my point," Mirai chuckled before taking her hand and helping Kat to her feet. Once she was standing, he frowned again. "There's some serious power being thrown around, and right now Gohan and Piccolo are in the middle of it."

"Piccolo?" Kat repeated. "Didn't he leave?"

"He must have come back because of those powers," Mirai theorized.

"Who do you think those guys are?" the younger half-breed asked.

"Beats me, but whoever they are, they're trouble, no doubt," the time traveler stated.

Suddenly they felt Piccolo's power drop. Not to where he was knocked out, but damn was he close. It didn't help that the biggest power was getting even bigger. "Oh, that is ten-pounds of nope in a five-pound bag!" Kat exclaimed with distaste.

"Methinks someone has been hanging out with 18 too much," Mirai noted. Kat rolled her eyes, and then Mirai went Super Saiyan. "Come on, we need to go help. Grab on."

"I hate being the only non-Super Saiyan," Kat grumbled as she jumped onto the teen's back.

In a matter of seconds, Mirai had made it to the battle, thankfully stopping the big power from firing his blast at Piccolo, who was luckily saved by Gohan from crashing onto the pavement below.

"Bojack, you will _not_ take this planet!" he declared before firing several ki shots at the man, all of which were blocked by the shield he had put up.

"So, how do you know his name?" Kat inquired while Mirai continued his barrage.

"Kat, now is _not_ the time!" the Super Saiyan grunted.

"Just asking," she muttered.

When Mirai was done, the two Saiyans realized his attacks hadn't done a thing. Deciding to try a more direct approach, Kat got off of Mirai's back, and the two shot off towards Bojack. But they were suddenly halted by what felt like steel wires, and they struggled to turn around and discover that the smallest alien had them completely trapped. He chuckled slowly at their predicament, and Kat growled at the man on the roof below them.

"Coward," she spat.

But he only chuckled more. "It's a shame you will never unlock the ability to do this yourself, _pequeña_ ," he commented, and Kat made a noise of confusion. "I can tell by your eyes... You are one of them, yet you have so much to learn, otherwise you would know the truth to my trick. If you were to serve my master, though, he would show you how to control this far better than they _ever_ could."

He knew! He knew what her other species was! And somehow the secret lied in her eyes, not to mention something having to do with the energy wires.

"Kat, don't listen to him," Mirai hissed. "He could be playing you."

Kat shook her head to calm herself; of course Mirai was right, this guy was either going to make her into a slave or kill her on the spot. "Yeah, you're right," she agreed. "But unfortunately, that doesn't solve this little problem."

"If only you would stop seeing with your eyes," the little alien advised, and the man who had come after Kat landed next to him, a spear-like object in hand. "Then you would realize that, just maybe, this," he tightened the wires, making the captives cry out in pain, "might all be a trick of the mind."

Before Kat could understand what that meant, her original attacker threw his spear, and it flew towards the half-breeds. But before it connected, something slammed it off course, cutting the wires at the same time. Mirai looked up and was surprised to see his sword and scabbard. He grabbed it just as the building exploded underneath the two teal aliens.

Never had the two half Saiyans felt so happy to feel Vegeta's energy.

"Father!" Mirai shouted with relief.

"He's here, Vegeta's really, really here!" Kat exclaimed.

There was a small grunt of acknowledgement before Vegeta stated, "Leave him to me." He rose out of the smoke, revealing that he was in Super Saiyan form, and stopped right next to Kat and Mirai, who were both surprised by his declaration to take on Bojack.

The alien chuckled at Vegeta's boldness, and for a while the two men stared each other down. Then they each fired ki blasts, one right after the other, flying all over the city in attempts to hit each other.

"I don't get it," Mirai suddenly stated, and Kat tore her eyes away from the fight to look at him in confusion. "He pretty much dropped out of fighting ever since Goku died, but now he's here defending us."

She pondered his words, and then she turned her attention back to the fight. "Well... Maybe he has a reason," she suggested. "But for now, I think we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth." Mirai nodded in agreement.

They watched for another minute before Vegeta was suddenly overwhelmed and flung back, far and fast. They gasped in shock before attempting to go after him, but the short alien and the woman blocked their path.

"Trunks, Kat, stay back!" Vegeta ordered, only for Bojack to brutally attack him a moment later.

"Vegeta!" Kat cried, but when she went to move, there was suddenly one of the wires around her wrist. She snarled at the smirking short alien, and then she glared at the wire. "You know what, screw this! So what if it's a trick of the mind or whatever, it's real enough to me!" She grabbed it and yanked it a little, making the alien drop his smirk. "And if it's real, then it's going to send you flying!"

"What?" the alien questioned, though he soon got his answer when she began to spin around in circles, catching the woman in the hammer throw as well. Waiting for the right moment, Mirai unsheathed his sword and slashed the wire, sending the two henchmen hurtling towards the grounds, allowing the two Saiyans to go and support Vegeta.

At the moment, the prince was flying through buildings, but before he could break through another one, the two were there to catch him. "Father, let us help," Mirai told him with concern. "You're not strong enough-"

Mirai never did learn his lesson with that phrase.

"Don't make me tell you twice," Vegeta growled as Mirai nursed yet another reminder about accidentally insulting his father's pride. Just before the man took off, Kat got in his way.

"Please, Vegeta, listen to us!" she insisted. "Mirai didn't mean it like that, you _are_ strong; you always have been! But you don't need to fight your battles alone. You're strong on your own; we're stronger as a team!"

Vegeta stared at her, like he was contemplating her argument. Finally, he answered, which made Kat frown mentally.

"Stay here and out of the way," he demanded before flying off again.

The girl let out a small sigh. "I was just trying to help," she mumbled.

"We both were," Mirai replied. "But we know how stubborn he can be; should have known he would say something like that."

"But he's going to get himself killed!" Kat pointed out. "What do we do?"

"Well," he stretched out his bruised gut. "You're his student, I'm his son, and we're both Saiyans; surely we have some stubbornness of our own."

Kat smirked and nodded. "Yeah."

The two raced after the full-blooded Saiyan, and once again the short alien and the woman got in their way again, both of them no longer smirking. Rather, they were glaring at Kat, angry that she had used their own power against them. Kat returned the glare.

"You don't exactly get the excuse to be mad at me when you're the ones wanting to take over my planet," she sneered.

"Those who refuse to bow to their masters will know the cost of defiance," the woman retorted before charging with a punch.

Kat flew back quickly and grabbed the woman's wrist. Then she went to kick the alien's stomach, but her attack was blocked by the woman's own kick. "I'm a pet to no one," she snapped.

"Oh? Then what is with the necklace you wear?" the woman questioned.

"This was a gift from my teacher," Kat snarled. "A symbol of my people. _Don't_ insult it by mistaking it for a stamp of ownership."

"Or perhaps your stamp is disguised as a present," her opponent argued.

There was a sudden glint in the alien's dark blue eyes that stop Kat from screeching, and she frowned in thought before something came to mind. "Methinks someone is talking from experience," she hypothesized.

Nothing could have prepared the small girl from desperately trying to fight off the monstrous rampage that followed.

The four Saiyans fought as hard as they could against Bojack and his crew, but they soon proved to be no match against the invaders, especially when Bojack transformed, his skin turning light green and his hair turning red. For a third time, Gohan found himself alone in the fight and this time, things looked _really_ one sided. Caught in the grip of the energy wires - which he discovered all three of the henchmen could do - Gohan felt drained and defeated, and it didn't help when Bojack appeared behind him.

"Now, give your father a message for me," the destructive alien requested before he proceeded to pummel Gohan.

_Ugh, didn't Dad die to_ _**avoid** _ _this? If summer is Kat's bad season, then spring is mine._

Just when Gohan thought it would be over, a red pod came crashing into the scene, causing the henchmen to break their concentration to dodge it and allowing Gohan to be freed from the wires. The preteen barely caught a glimpse of Mr. Satan inside before Bojack fired a blast at the pod, causing "Earth's Hero" to crash into the ground, and Gohan couldn't help calling out in concern.

"For your sake, I hope that wasn't the cavalry," Bojack chuckled.

Knowing Gohan's luck, that was.

He tried, he really, _really_ tried, but four-against-one was definitely proving too much, and soon Gohan found himself bloodied and bruised, buried among rubble. Then Bojack yanked him out, pulled him into a hug, and began to literally squeeze the life out of him.

"How ironic that your father's death was the key to our escape," the leader stated with an evil grin. "I _so_ wanted to thank him personally, but now you'll have to do it for me."

When Bojack began to squeeze him harder, Gohan let out a scream that could be heard all the way to Other World.

...

"Goku, we have to _do_ something!" Weuce hissed.

"King Kai won't let us," he argued in a low voice, even though he so desperately agreed. "Besides, without Baba-"

"Just use your Instant Transmission!" the other dead alien demanded. "We'll go in, punch them in the face or give energy or...whatever, and then be back. No one will notice."

"We?" Goku repeated.

"As if I'm just going to sit by and watch someone else's child be taken away from them," Weuce snapped. Then her face softened. "As if I'm just going to watch _him_ die."

Him. Goku had learned who "him" was the year after his death, and he knew how strongly Weuce felt for "him". So, finally, Goku nodded, ready to cheat death for a minute.

"Hold on, alright?" he instructed.

Weuce grabbed onto his arm just as Goku put two fingers to his forehead. They transported to Earth, and while Goku flew as fast as he could to deliver a punch to Bojack's face, Weuce scanned the area and noticed that Vegeta was the closest warrior nearby. She flew to him to transfer some of the energy she had.

When she reached him, the sound of her feet landing on the ground caused the Saiyan Prince to stir very slightly. His eyes barely opened, and he let out a long groan. "Don't worry, I'm here to help," Weuce soothed as she readied herself. "I'll give you some of my energy."

"N-not...me," Vegeta rasped out. "Closest... Who's closest?"

The dead woman looked around and found Kat not five feet from them. "The girl," she reported. "Kat."

"Wh-where's... Trunks?" he questioned weakly.

"Too far, I don't have much time," Weuce replied.

"Her... Give it...to her," Vegeta requested. "O-Other World...scares her." Nodding (even though he couldn't see her do it), Weuce quickly made her way to Kat's side and began giving her energy. "Who... Who are-"

"Don't worry about trivial things," the woman interrupted. "All you need to know right now is that I'm a friend." She stood up and ran off. Vegeta was able to open his eyes just a little right as Weuce was ascending into the sky, and he noticed the halo above her head.

Among something else.

"Y-you... It can't..." Before he could fully process what he saw, he fell back into unconsciousness just as Kat woke and slowly stood up.

"How am I even awake?" she asked as she looked at her cut up arms. Then she looked around to find both Vegeta and Mirai unconscious, and she began to move towards the prince before she realized something. "I barely have enough energy as it is. If I were to transfer it to Vegeta I might end up dead." She frowned. "I just hope they'll be okay."

Then, as much as it frightened her, she ran off in the direction of her friend screaming in determination.

...

 _"_ _Wake up,"_ a soft voice commanded.

Gohan wasn't too sure, but it sounded like...

 _"_ _The world is depending on you, Gohan,"_ the voice continued.

No... It really did sound like... He had to find out. The half Saiyan opened his eyes, and he gasped.

 _"_ _Believe in yourself, son,"_ Goku advised, a gentle yet fierce look on his face. _"Unleash your true strength. It's the only way."_

And just like that, his dad was gone, back to the world of the dead. Or so he assumed. Whatever the case, Gohan suddenly found himself with more energy and drive than before as he whispered, "Yes, sir."

He refused to let his dad down again.

Gohan rolled over so he was on his hands and knees, and he reached deep within himself to pull out the power of the form he had long since promised to never use again:

Super Saiyan 2.

"I know you're out there, Father," he spoke mostly to himself as he stood up. The power began to bubble inside him, and he could already feel the effects of the shift in emotions. But this time, Gohan wasn't going to let them control him. "You came back to save me, and I won't let you **down**!"

With that, he transformed into the form vastly more powerful than Perfect Cell.

Letting a tad bit of his anger get away, Gohan spun around and glared at the four teal aliens. "I know your kind," he stated angrily. "You think you can just waltz in and take our planet. But you forgot one thing: I'm my father's **_SON!_** "

The power Gohan unleashed finally made Bojack have fear in his eyes, and it didn't help that the young Saiyan was slowly walking towards them with no remorse in his aura.

"Bujin, Bido!" the leader commanded.

Later, Gohan would note how strange it was that he had been right the whole time.

Once again, the half-breed felt the wires around him, and this time they were more annoying than threatening. But before he could get rid of them, Kat zipped over to Bujin, a purple ki blast in her hand and murder in her eyes.

"See if this is a damn trick of the mind," she growled before firing her Galick Gun.

Bujin flew back, and his wires snapped in the process. Bido lost concentration thanks to the sudden appearance of the girl, which caused his wires to disappear as well. Taking the opportunity, Gohan flew towards Bido at blinding speeds and punched him so hard, not only was the man cut in half but he exploded into nothing seconds later. Then the Super Saiyan leapt for a struggling Bujin and landed a devastating kick that amounted to the same thing.

"...You were right, you're scarier when you're angrier," Kat determined in complete surprise.

"Kat, you shouldn't be here," Gohan advised in a moment of calmness. "Go find some place safe."

"As strong as you are, Gohan, with Bojack still alive there's no place that's really 'safe'," she countered.

Fair.

"So then, we'll end it here," her friend decided. Kat nodded.

Meanwhile, the woman looked terrified, like she had made an incredible mistake. Both of the children noted her fear, especially Gohan. He had seen Frieza and Cell "afraid", but not like this. Bojack, however, looked much like the previous two monsters before suddenly smirking and looking at his last remaining henchmen devilishly.

That only meant bad news.

"We might get flack for this, but I need you to get her out of the way, Kat," Gohan quickly ordered.

"Right!" Kat zipped over right as Bojack pushed the woman forward, but before he fired at her back and effectively Gohan as well, the black haired girl barreled into her and saved her from death.

Instantly, Gohan was in Bojack's face, punching him back and away from the two females. Bojack quickly recovered and charged for the boy, but Gohan countered with another punch that went right through Bojack's torso. The man gasped and staggered back, but he was clearly unwilling to accept death.

"Any last words before you die?" he asked with a growl as he formed ki blasts in both hands.

"Actually, _Bojack_ ," Gohan spat, "there is one that comes to mind."

Supporting the alien woman, Kat was able to get out of the way just as Gohan said that one word.

"KAMEHAME- **_HA!_** "

His family's specialty collided with Bojack's blasts, and Gohan decided to seal the deal with one last punch that finally ended Bojack...

And kind of reverted him back to normal once the smoke cleared.

Hey, Gohan was tired, there was no shame in him flopping onto his back to get some shut eye.

Kat looked at her fallen friend, and as she turned her gaze to the woman she felt the pangs of fatigue hit her as well. She chuckled nervously and tiredly. "I'm not going to regret this, am I?" she asked.

The woman said nothing for a while before saying, "I cannot turn on those I own debts to."

With a tired grin and another little chuckle, Kat felt the hard ground greet her into sleep.

...

Vegeta stood over Kat's bed, his eyes narrowed, arms crossed, and foot tapping. "What could possibly happen indeed," he snorted.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know five teal aliens would come and try to take over the world?" she pointed out. "Besides, I don't see why you're complaining. You're somehow the only one besides Piccolo to not be in a hospital bed. Seriously, are you two best buddies now or something?"

If it wasn't for her injured...everything, Vegeta would have punched her. He settled for calling her, " _Meiwakuna gaki_ ," instead.

"Okay, _what_ does that mean?" Krillin asked. "You've been saying it for the past ten minutes."

"It doesn't matter, Krillin!" Kat snapped.

"If I had to take a shot in the dark, based off context, it's something about being annoying," Mirai piped up.

"Butt out Mr. I'm-smarter-even-though-I'm-younger!" The time traveler smirked.

"Hey, did you guys read the paper?" Oolong suddenly piped up. "I think you'll get a kick out of the front page."

With the hand not in a cast, Krillin took the paper from the pig and read the headlines. "'Mr. Satan Saves World Twice'," he announced, unamused. "He gets front page and we get hospital beds. How does that work?"

"Say what you will, but if it weren't for him distracting Bojack and his goons, we wouldn't be here right now," Gohan defended.

"Your heart's too pure for its own good, Gohan," Kat grumbled. "Seriously, I'm right handed! At least give me some sort of credit while I awkwardly try to complete the test I have when Spring Break is over."

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Hey, what happened to that woman?" he questioned.

"Woman?" everyone but Kat repeated, with Oolong and Master Roshi having stars in their eyes.

Kat glared at the perverts before thinking about it. "Not sure," she admitted. "We're here, though, so that has to mean something."

"Well, there was this woman who directed us to where you were," Bulma brought up. "Strangely, she looked kind of like that woman who knocked out Krillin, except her hair was shorter and silver, and her skin was tan."

"She was definitely suspicious," Chi-Chi added. "She knew _exactly_ where all of you were. I don't trust her."

"Well, she got us to you two, so we should at least _thank_ her," Kat countered. "Did you catch her name?" The two women shook their heads.

There was a knock at the door, and the nurse walked in. "Ah, you're all awake," she noted, desperately trying to ignore the old man and pig. "There's someone who wants to see you." She looked into the hallway. "You can come in," she directed to the mysterious guest before turning back. "I have other patients to attend to, but if you ever need me, just call for me." The nurse left, and she was replaced by the woman Bulma had described.

But the Z Warriors noted one thing about her neither woman caught.

"You!" Yamcha spat. "What are you-"

"Wait, Yamcha, remember! We wouldn't be here without her!" Gohan interrupted.

"You're damn right," Tien growled. "Explain yourself. My leg may be broken from your friend, but don't think that limits me in any way."

The alien looked around the room, and finally she spoke. "My name is Zangya," she introduced. "I...wanted to thank you."

"We couldn't just let you die like that," Gohan replied.

"Yeah, Bojack turned against you, and from the way you looked, you didn't deserve it," Kat agreed.

Zangya didn't look like she agreed. "Perhaps I did," she argued softly, and the group waited for her to explain. "There was a time, hundreds of years ago, when my people - the Hera - were a peaceful race. We just lived as we pleased. But then..." She took a deep, shaky breath.

"My father's best friend was ruler of our planet, and for many years he defended us from those who wished to bring us harm. Bojack, who worked alongside my father, believed that we should be using our power to take over those who were trying to take what was ours. Our ruler disagreed, always saying, 'An eye for an eye makes the universe blind'. Bojack did not agree, and he - along with some other rebels - overthrew our leader and killed both him and my father...and as for me..."

"Your presents were stamps," Kat concluded, remembering what the woman had said about her necklace.

"Correct," Zangya responded, her hand going over her own necklace. "I had wished to die with my father; anything to not be led by a monster who only wished for destruction. But my defiance is what allowed me to live, and as a result I have done... I have done things I regret. Some planets... Perhaps they deserved it. Others..."

There was silence as the group tried to think of something to say. "Hey, was that Bujin guy lying?" Mirai suddenly inquired. Everyone looked at him. "About Kat being able to see things with her mind or whatever? And something about her eyes, too."

She didn't answer his question. Then, slowly, she made her way to Kat. The entire time Vegeta watched her, ready to pounce if need be. But Kat wasn't afraid; she just followed Zangya's movements until the two were eye-to-eye. The Hera studied Kat for a bit before looking at Mirai.

"Lapis lazuli is a color not normally found in the eyes," she explained. "Only a select number of species possess this color, and all of them are _ilusionistas_."

"What?"

"Illusionists. I forgot Earth only speaks the universal language. Anyway, _ilusionistas_ are those who can create just about anything they put their mind to. _Ilusionistas_ are usually able to see the illusions created by others unless they are weaker than the _ilusionista_ using the illusion. Those who can't create illusions, however, are never able to see through the trick. All illusions will feel real to them."

"Careful, guys, if we anger Kat enough, she might drop a cruise ship on us," Krillin joked.

"Not necessarily," Zangya corrected. "The bigger an object is, the more it strains the mind, to the point where it is no longer solid. The biggest I have been able to go is a pillar no taller than Bojack. Of course, I see that she has a Saiyan tail, which means she is half _ilusionista_ , and for all I know it means she might be able to create illusions much bigger and have them still be solid."

While Krillin whined about the idea of being smashed by a house, Kat sat silently, absorbing the information. "Zangya, do you know which race of illusionists I belong to?" she finally asked.

"Unfortunately, the only distinguishing factor you have are your eyes, and plenty of _ilusionistas_ have that," she reported. "That is an answer you will have to discover on your own."

Kat nodded, and then Zangya turned to the window, opening it and putting a foot on the sill. "Where are you going?" Gohan questioned, making her pause.

"Somewhere to die in peace," she answered, surprising the group. "Hell is the only place a person like me belongs."

"That isn't true!" Kat exclaimed. "You can find ways to redeem yourself!"

"There are not enough good deeds in the universe to save my soul."

"Then why is Vegeta still alive?!" Everyone looked at Kat with wide eyes at her declaration. "If what you say is true, then why is Vegeta still on Earth? He might not have lived as long as you, but he's hurt people just like you have. Yet he's still here! Why do you think Mirai and I are still alive? We wouldn't be if Vegeta hadn't come to our aid!"

"Piccolo, too!" Gohan declared. "Piccolo was evil once, but he's still here, trying to make up for what he did. You can, too, you know!"

Zangya took her foot off the sill, reverting back to her teal skin and long orange hair as she looked at the floor sadly. "Where would this universe accept me to start making up for all of the lives I tore apart?" she countered quietly.

No one had an answer, and then Kat snapped her left fingers. "Mirai!" The teen gave her a questioning look. "You said you're Earth's only protector in your timeline, right? What if Zangya goes back with you?" she suggested.

Mirai's eyes went wide, and Zangya waited for his response. "I-I don't know," he admitted. "I mean, first of all, how am I supposed to trust her completely?" Kat rolled her eyes, and Mirai huffed. "Second, that's going to be a really tight fit."

"Come on, Trunks, think about it," Gohan urged. "I think she's telling the truth and she really wants to reform."

"Please, Mirai, please?"

The teen looked at both of his pleading friends before turning his gaze to Zangya. "My original purpose in life was to take after my father and protect our planet and ruler," she stated. "If you are willing to let me live on your Earth, then I will promise to protect it with my life, down to my very last breath."

Many hour-feeling seconds passed before Mirai finally sighed. "Alright, fine, you win," he conceded.

"Trunks!"

"Mom, everything's going to be okay," he assured the outraged scientist. "As direct as Kat was, and no matter how rude it was, she has a point. So does Gohan. And I've seen what happened to 18 here; maybe Zangya is the same."

Bulma found she couldn't counter his determined aura, and she too sighed. "Whatever you say," she decided.

"And hey, that means if you find Future Me, she'll have a teacher!" Kat pointed out.

"Would you like me to stay until you have mastered your abilities?" Zangya offered.

Kat smiled. "No thanks, I actually think I have a pretty good start," she revealed.

"How?" Tien asked.

"The big red box two Christmases ago! It disappeared, remember? No one could see it."

Everyone thought back to the night after Nappa's defeat and realized she was right. "Simple disappearing tricks are how most _ilusionistas_ start out," Zangya commented.

Then, for the first time, she smiled genuinely. Mirai fought hard not to blush at how cute that made his new partner, and _then_ he had a mental battle on how stupid he was for thinking she was cute in the first place.

"I do believe you are correct, _joven_ ," she told Kat.

"Ho-ven?" Kat tried to repeat.

" _Joven_. It means 'young one' in Herman, reserved for the children who have gained the respect of their elders."

Kat beamed before her face quickly fell to confusion. "Wait, then what's _pe_... How do you say it?"

" _Pequeña_. It means 'little girl', and it's usually an insult."

Vegeta smirked as he patted a pouting Kat's head. "Don't worry, you'll grow one day," he taunted.

"You want to talk smack, then bring all four feet of you. Or should I count your stupid hair?"

Her injuries didn't save her from a smack to the back of the head that time.

...

The next day, Yajirobe brought the gang some Senzu Beans, which got them discharged from the hospital early (much to the bewilderment of the staff). The group said their goodbyes to each other and went home, with Kat and Zangya following the Brief family to Capsule Corp.

As Bulma showed Zangya around the complex (since Mirai told his alternate timeline mother not much about the place had changed), Vegeta was on the couch, reading. But when he heard footsteps approach him, he put the book down to find Mirai and Kat standing in front of him.

"Vegeta, we forgot to say it yesterday, but thank you," Kat stated.

"For what?" the man asked.

"For saving us," Mirai answered. "You went out of your way to defend us even though you don't fight all that much anymore."

"And we have to apologize, too," Kat continued. "Mirai didn't mean to insult yesterday, and I... I didn't realize you really didn't want to fight. I kept pushing you, and I didn't..." She stopped, realizing she was rambling, and the time traveler had nothing to say since Kat had taken the words out of his mouth.

Vegeta, meanwhile, looked between the two half-breeds, not saying anything for many minutes. Suddenly (and neither of the children could have _ever_ seen it coming), the prince grabbed their arms and pulled them into a hug. He squeezed them, like they would disappear at any moment, and the two looked at each other before smiling and relaxing into the hug.

For a very long time, the three stayed on the floor in the embrace, and then finally Vegeta pulled back to look into their eyes.

"Neither of you should have been in danger in the first place," he told them. "I should have been there from the start; I should have trained both of you more. Instead, I've been slacking, and there's no doubt in my mind Kakarot is training in Other World. So..." He smirked. "I think it's time I stop dragging my feet," he looked directly at Kat, "and I'll help you become a fighter both of your parents will truly be proud of."

Both of the half Saiyans beamed and nodded. "Absolutely!"

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, sorry this took so long with this. I was on a Pokémon binge, and they had to wait a long period without content, so now you guys do too! But the good news is that between Chapter 21 and this chapter, I found a beta reviewer. DD62, you are awesome!**

**I kept Zangya alive (no shit). I thought it was dumb not only that she was killed, but _how_ she was killed. Seriously, Toriyama, what is wrong with women fighters?**

**Also, I have absolutely no idea how I came to the conclusion to hint at Trugya. That's just all sorts of I don't understand.**

**One more thing, I realized I never revealed what Gohan wanted for winning the bet. What do you guys think he wanted? I'm curious to your thoughts.**


	23. The Summer Search

True to his word, Vegeta stopped holding back, and Kat found the gravity moving up in levels like she wouldn't believe. At first, she was against the idea, but after seeing Mirai and Zangya (deciding to stay in the past for a bit longer because Mirai figured that it would be better for his new partner to learn about Earth from a place with better tech) stand in it with ease, she found motivation to fight through the high intensity. Every day was an exciting day, filled with the usual hijinks.

Well... Every day except for a day two weeks after school ended.

It was two weeks after Kat's freshman year had ended, and for the first time all year the Brief household was noiseless. The living room was so quiet they could hear the clock ticking. Even Trunks playing with his toys was relatively quiet. Vegeta was silent as always as he read his book, Bulma was going over paperwork on the table, Mirai was napping on the couch, and Zangya was searching the internet for what "baseball" was. Kat, meanwhile, was upstairs in the gravity room, working on the beginnings of a dance routine she had to do at the end of summer vacation.

Suddenly there was a loud **_BOOM_** as Kat entered the room, flying right next to Bulma, who fell to the ground out of surprise, and any papers that weren't scattered by the wind were taken along with the scientist.

"WHERE'S THE DRAGON RADAR?!" she shouted with more enthusiasm than any of them had ever seen.

Bulma lifted her head to look at Kat's eager, beaming face, her lapis lazuli eyes sparkling so brightly they could rival stars. "Kat, why-?"

"WHERE IS IT, WHERE IS IT?!" she interrupted.

"Um... Second floor lab in the box next to my desk."

There was another loud **_BOOM_** as Kat zoomed back upstairs, and the room fell silent again. "So... Is that how Earthlings act when they are excited?" Zangya asked.

"Kat takes her excitement to the Katth degree," Mirai sighed.

"Older Me, why do you think Kat's excited?" the four-year-old questioned.

Mirai sighed, this time with a hint of a chuckle. The nickname Trunks had given him was definitely interesting. "Who knows," he replied. "What I want to know is why Kat wants the Dragon Radar."

Zangya looked up at the ceiling. "You told me the Dragon Balls grant wishes," she stated. "So she wants to make a wish, yes? Then what is it that she would wish for?"

Everyone thought about anything Kat wanted, and then Vegeta hit his forehead with his book as he groaned. "Bulma, why the hell didn't we think about this right as soon as we discovered Kat was an alien?" he realized.

"What do you mean-?" Suddenly it hit Bulma, too, and she sighed. "All of that drama, and it could have been avoided," she muttered.

Before anyone could say anything else, Kat reentered, waving the radar in Bulma's face. "Bulma, it isn't working!" she declared, her voice lower but somehow still retaining the same enthusiasm.

The scientist took her invention and fiddled with it. "Hmm, seems it needs some tweaking," she noted. "Don't worry, Kat, I'll have it fixed by tomorrow."

"But I want to find out who my parents are _now_!" Kat complained, revealing her wish to the three that hadn't quite caught on. "Please, Bulma, can you get it done today? Please, please, pretty please?"

"I would advise against you rushing Ms. Brief," Zangya piped up, joining the two at the dining table. "If you were to leave today, by the time you collected the Dragon Balls, you would be too worn out to care who your parents are. That is how excited you appear to be."

"Besides, Kat, it would be dark by the time you collected them all," Bulma added. "You'd be exhausted anyway. Just give me until tomorrow, and then you can start on your little adventure." Bulma's eyes shifted upward in sudden thought, and then she beamed. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Kat inquired.

"You said you've been looking for something to do this summer, right?" the scientist reminded. "Why not turn this into an exploration of the world?"

Kat realized what she meant. "Like what you and Goku did as kids?" she clarified.

"Exactly!" Bulma confirmed. "It'll be like one giant camping trip."

Suddenly Trunks' eyes were shining. "Oo, oo, I want to go!" he declared excitedly.

"Trunks, you have training-"

"I can train him," Kat offered, cutting Vegeta off. "Let me teach him the basics, and then he can take on the gravity chamber."

Trunks cheered, and his mother sighed. "You damn Saiyans and your training," she muttered. Then she looked at her son. "Trunks, if your dad and I allow you to go, you'll listen to Kat, right?"

"Of course!" Trunks assured.

"And I'll take good care of him," Kat promised, liking the idea more and more by the second.

"Vegeta, what do you think?"

He looked at his wife and then shrugged. "Let him go," he decided. "Saiyan children tend to like exploring and camping anyway, not to mention we'd never hear the end of it if we didn't let him go."

Dark blue eyes rolled at Vegeta's random Saiyan fact of the day, but Bulma could see the logic in both points. "Alright, Trunks, you can go," she allowed.

Her son celebrated, and then he looked at Kat expectantly. "Can Gohan and Goten come with us?" he asked.

"Well, I don't think Goten can, Trunks. He _is_ only two," Kat pointed out. "But I'll call Chi-Chi and see if she's okay with Gohan traveling with us."

"Before you do that," Vegeta cut in, rising to his feet, "I think we need to burn off your excess energy."

"Oo, yeah," Mirai chuckled, almost cackling. "Little kitties don't sleep well when they're wound up, and I think someone deserves punishment for their incident yesterday."

Kat pouted at the insult and _especially_ the nickname. "What are you complaining about? You don't even _have_ a tail," she grumbled.

"That doesn't mean the tailbone doesn't hurt when kicked," the time traveler countered. He too stood up, and he cracked his knuckles with a smirking grin. "Come on, show me what you've got."

"Bring it, _Princely_."

Neither Gran Gran nor Ginyu questioned why Kat immediately flopped on her bed when she got home, claiming she was _exhausted_.

...

"Trunks... Remind me how I was able to convince my mom to allow me to do this," Gohan requested, dumbfounded.

"You're the one who was there, not me," Mirai pointed out, inwardly sighing as he hoped what he thought was going to happen wouldn't.

"Do you think it's because of Kat's wish?" the thirteen-year-old continued.

 _Oh my God, this_ _ **is**_ _happening again!_ "I don't know," the older teen replied, not really knowing why he decided to humor Gohan.

"Is it because I finished all of my assignments?"

"I don't know."

"Would it be-"

"I don't _know_ , Gohan!" Mirai cried. "Jeez, we've been over this already."

Gohan fell silent. "I just can't believe it," he finally said, repeating his sentiments for the third time. Mirai sighed.

Two days had passed since Kat had presented her idea of using the Dragon Balls. While Bulma had fixed the radar like she said she would, the woman also suggested a day to get packed and say goodbye since they _would_ be gone for two months. Kat had called Chi-Chi and asked if it was okay for Gohan to join.

Obviously, the answer was "yes", and Gohan was bewildered by it.

However, that wasn't to say he wasn't grateful; _anything_ to avoid being cooped up in his room with his nose buried in six different textbooks. Not to mention they now had the Flying Nimbus, which would make traveling so much easier since Kat wouldn't have to worry about losing her ki on a regular basis.

Now the Brief family (plus Mirai), the Sons, Zangya, and Krillin were outside Capsule Corp., waiting for (of _all_ people) Kat to show up. Gohan looked at Trunks, who was playing with Goten, and sighed. He was half thankfully and half annoyed that the small boy was coming along.

And they stemmed from the same reason.

"Hey, Gohan." The black haired Demi looked up at Mirai. "I forgot to ask: what did you get from the bet?" the older teen questioned.

Ah, yes...that.

Funny story.

XXX

_About two months after Bojack, Gohan and his three friends were hanging out in West City before finals buried them in papers of notes. They were on the way to get ice cream when a memory resurfaced in Gohan's brain._

_"_ _Kat!" All four of them stopped, with Kat raising an eyebrow. "You never paid up for losing the bet!" Gohan reminded._

_Immediately Kat's face was red with embarrassment and annoyance, and Yuki snickered. "Oo, Kat lost a bet," he taunted._

_"_ _Shut up," Kat grumbled._

_"_ _What did he want?" Mitsumi asked._

_Only Gohan knew the answer to that, and he opened his mouth to reveal it, just for it to be closed because...b-because..._

_Apparently Kat had mistaken his teasing before her quarter final match as flirting._

_Because she was...k-_ _**kissing** _ _him!_

_And Gohan...strangely couldn't find a reason to complain._

_Five seconds. That's how long the kiss lasted. But to Earth's hero, it felt like five **hours** , and he admittedly wanted a few more. Of course, that wasn't the case, and when Kat parted the world started up again and Gohan was left speechless._

_Before he could say anything, Kat whipped around and stormed off, her tail (not caring if people saw it) lashing harshly as she muttered, "Stupid boys and their stupid bets and...and..."_

_If Kat said anything else, Gohan didn't catch it. His mind was too far in space, and when it finally landed, all he was thinking about was his actual (though arguably not as...bafflingly wonderful) bet reward._

XXX

"Ice cream," Gohan answered his purple haired friend.

"Well that's...boring," Mirai commented after trying to find the right word for a bit.

Gohan didn't need to be told twice.

Good thing Kat was _way_ ahead of him.

Speaking of her, Gohan sensed her energy and looked up to find her flying towards Capsule Corp., and when she got close enough Gohan noticed she looked a little grouchy.

No doubt it had something to do with her adoptive mother.

"Finally!" Krillin cried as Kat touched down. "We've been waiting, you know."

"Yeah," Kat huffed. "It's just that Blaise wanted to play 20 Questions _as usual_. I was _so_ _ **close**_ to smacking him with my tail, but thankfully Gran Gran stepped in to help."

Adoptive stepfather was close enough.

"Can we go now?" Trunks asked eagerly, looking like he was about to start bouncing off the walls.

His grin lightened Kat's mood, and she laughed. "I am," she replied. "Gohan?"

"Yep, all set," he reported.

"Now make sure you call me every night," Chi-Chi instructed.

 _Mom, not in front of Kat!_ Gohan's mind couldn't help but whine. Even if he hadn't thought that, he probably still would have blushed. "We might be in places where there's no reception," Gohan pointed out with a mumble.

"I just want to make sure you're okay," his mother insisted.

"We'll be fine, Chi-Chi," Kat assured, coming to Gohan's rescue. "I have my phone, too, and we'll have each other's back."

"You have the card I gave you?" Bulma questioned.

"And cash just in case we go somewhere that doesn't accept debit," Kat added.

Bulma smiled with pride. "See, Chi-Chi, we have a traveling expert," she stated. "They'll be fine."

Chi-Chi frowned slightly but gave in. "Just as long as you're careful," she noted.

The three travelers nodded, and then Gohan looked to the sky and cupped his mouth. "NIMBUS!" he shouted.

There was a twinkle, and then the fluffy yellow cloud appeared, skidding to a halt in front of its master. Slightly hesitant (though thankfully no one noticed), Gohan jumped onto the cloud, letting out an inward sigh of relief at learning that having a crush didn't make his heart impure.

Trunks bounced onto the cloud, beaming widely as he sat on what he could only describe as a giant thing of cotton candy. Gohan then held out a hand to help Kat on. She took it, and the thirteen-year-old noted how soft and warm and gentle-

"Hold on to me, okay?" he said, forcing his train of thought out of his mind. "You'll fall off otherwise."

Kat nodded and sat on Nimbus, still holding his hand, and Gohan had to fight his blush. "How come you have to hold on to him, Kat?" Trunks asked, not letting the older half Saiyan forget that fact any time soon.

"Unfortunately, I have too many people on my hit list," Kat informed.

"Hit list?"

"You'll learn it when you're older." Trunks pouted, Vegeta rolled his eyes, and Bulma sighed in relief.

Before Nimbus took off, Mirai poked Gohan's arm, and the black haired teen looked to find him smirking.

"Ice cream, huh?" Mirai whispered for only Gohan to hear, having finally seen through Gohan's attempts to hide his newfound nervousness around Kat.

Finally, Gohan couldn't hold back his blush, painting his face, ears, and even a majority of his neck red. "I-I didn't lie!" he retorted, which _was_ true.

 _Yours just had a little extra sugar,_ Yuki's chuckle rang in his mind.

Krillin snickered, not actually knowing what was going on but deciding to have fun with the younger fighter anyway. "Why Gohan, I do believe you're blushing," he teased. "Now what could possibly be the reason be the reason for that?"

"Kat, where's the first Dragon Ball?" Gohan quickly inquired, wanting to ignore Krillin's teasing.

His friend blinked in confusion while both Mirai and Krillin smirked in triumph. But, wanting to get a move on, Kat shrugged it off and turned on the radar. "Northwest," she informed, pointing at the blinking dot. "From the looks of it, it isn't too far at all."

"Nimbus, northwest!" Trunks exclaimed, excited to get started. The cloud took off, and while the little boy cried out in excitement, the older children turned around and waved as the group below shouted out goodbyes.

"Whoa!" Trunks' gasp of wonder brought the two back, and they found him peering down with his eyes and mouth wide. "Everything looks like ants from up here!"

Kat giggled. "And one day, you'll be able to see it whenever you want," she told him. "But first, you've gotta build up your ki."

"And to do that, I have to train!" Trunks finished.

"That's right!" Kat laughed. "Your mom isn't exactly thrilled, but your dad and I agree that you should, which means she's outnumbered 2 to 1."

Trunks cheered, and Gohan smiled. He liked watching the two interact; in a way, it was like Goten and himself, except that both of them could be a bit snarkier to each other, which didn't necessarily surprise him considering Trunks' parents and Kat's personality.

Well, you didn't spell "dysfunctional" without "fun".

Nimbus flew and flew until they were above Westview Lake (about 15 miles out of West City) and Kat informed that the first ball was there.

"Awesome!" the four-year-old cried. He stood up and bent his knees, but Gohan grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Not from this height, Trunks," Gohan stated.

"Besides, you can't swim," Kat added, and Trunks pouted.

"Then how are we going to get it?" he grumbled.

"I'll go down and get it," the girl decided. "Let's land on the shore over there, and I'll change so I can dive into the lake. You and Gohan can hang out by the shore." Then Kat eyed the eldest. "I bet he'll even teach you how to swim if you ask nicely."

In an instant, Trunks wasn't sulking; instead, he was looking at Gohan expectantly. "Pretty please, Gohan?" he asked.

Not only was Gohan unable to say no to that face, he figured there was no way to convince Kat into letting him find the ball, so he chuckled. "Alright," he agreed.

Once again Trunks cheered, and Nimbus flew down to shore. Kat opened a capsule with her bag and dug around for a swim suit. "Can we bring out the Capsule House?" Trunks requested as he hopped off the cloud, with Gohan right behind him.

"Only in bad weather conditions," Kat denied as she found something. She ran off to find a private place, and Trunks frowned at her statement.

"Hey, come on, Trunks, don't look so down," Gohan told him, putting a hand on the small boy's head. "What's the fun of camping if we aren't camping?"

"Oh, alright," Trunks sighed, but then immediately picking himself back up. "So can you teach me to swim now?"

Gohan chuckled at the quick change in mood. "Of course," he assured. "Let's get changed first."

The boys quickly got into swim trunks and waded in until Trunks had to hold onto the older boy to keep from submerging. While Gohan began to teach him how to tread water, Kat flew overhead and out a little farther. Then, after looking at the radar to make sure she was in the right vicinity, she dove in.

"You think Kat will find it?" Trunks questioned.

"No doubt." _She'd probably stay underwater forever if she could,_ Gohan thought. "So, what to try an actual position?"

"Yeah!"

They continued their lesson for a while before they heard water break and a big gasp of breath. Gohan turned his head to find Kat regaining air. "Did you find it?" he called out since she was a fair distance away.

"I did, but it was stuck between some rocks," Kat reported. "I was able to get it out though, so I'll just dive back down and grab it." Gohan nodded, and with a deep inhale, Kat was below the water again.

Trunks clung to Gohan as they waited for Kat to resurface. After about a minute, she did, and she held the ball above her head triumphantly with a huge grin on her face. The boys cheered, and with Trunks on his back, Gohan swam over to her.

"Which one is it?" he inquired.

Kat looked at the red stars. "Three," she counted. "It's the Three-Star Ball." She continued to study the orange crystalline sphere in wonder. "So... This is a Dragon Ball."

"Yep," Gohan stated.

"The things that can grant any two wishes," she whispered, her eyes shining.

"I can't wait to meet your parents!" Trunks proclaimed.

She nodded slowly. "Me too, Trunks. Me too."

...

Night fell. The kids had decided to stay at the lake for the night thanks to Trunks insisting it to be so. He got to play in the water some more, this time with Kat, while Gohan went hunting for dinner. He came back with multiple large fish and then proceeded to show off the skills he had learned living in (essentially) the wilderness by effortlessly deboning, gutting, and cooking the fish over an open flame (though Kat had to help properly season them). Thankfully it had been enough, since - because of his age - Trunks' Saiyan appetite hadn't kicked in, and Kat wasn't feeling too terribly hungry.

Once they finished dinner, Trunks promptly fell asleep, worn out from playing in the water and learning how to swim. Gohan dozed off, and Kat stared at the starry night sky for about an hour before she silently stood up and flew to the top of a nearby plateau. Gohan, having felt her energy, opened his eyes and followed her, finding her continuing to stare up at the stars, her knees to her chest and her tail lazily waving behind her. When she felt the other half-breed's ki, she turned her head.

"You know we can't leave Trunks alone, right?" she pointed out.

"Then let's sit at the edge," Gohan suggested. "That way we can watch over him." Kat nodded, and she stood to move to the edge. She sat down in the same position that she was before, and Gohan joined her with his legs dangling over the cliff and his hands behind him, propping him up.

"Something's on your mind," he noted.

Kat hugged her legs a little tighter. "I'm just...nervous," she admitted.

"Of course you would be," Gohan argued softly. "You'll be meeting your parents for the first time. Anyone would be nervous."

"I know, it's just... What if they don't like me, Gohan?" she asked. "What if they really did send me away because they don't want me? All I... I want to make them proud, but what..." She shut her eyes tight and began to sniff.

"Hey, don't think like that," her friend soothed, pulling her into a hug and rest his chin on her silky soft black hair. "Let's think positively, okay? They have a good reason, let's believe that." The twelve-year-old nodded slowly, and then Gohan held her tighter. "And if... If for whatever reason that _is_ true... Well, forget them, Kat. They don't deserve you in the first place if that's in fact right, and we're all here for you."

She shuffled closer to him, reveling in his comfort. "Thank you, Gohan," she whispered. "I'm glad you came along."

"I am, too," he agreed. They sat in comfortable silence for a long time before Gohan took his chin off her head. Kat looked at him, and they stared at each other for a little while. "Your eyes..."

"Hmm?" Kat grunted in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

Gohan barely contained a small blush as he shook his head. "No, not at all," he assured. "It's just, there's something I haven't noticed before. There are specks of azure and black in your eyes."

"Really?" the girl questioned, sounding interested. Then she finally smiled. "I bet the black comes from my dad, and the two blues are from my mom."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I'm assuming my dad is the Saiyan, considering what Vegeta said," Kat brought up. "Which means my mom is the illusionist with lapis lazuli eyes." She looked at the stars again. "I wonder what species she is."

"We'll find out," Gohan stated.

"Yep." Once again she turned to look at Gohan. "By the way, there's something about your eyes, too."

His heart skipped a quick beat. "M-my eyes?" he repeated.

The girl nodded. "They have hints of chocolate brown," she told him. "Guess someone on your mom's side had brown eyes."

As he sighed inwardly, Gohan replied, "Maybe I'll ask her about Grandma. I've never really asked."

Kat smiled a little bigger before her eyes went wide. "Oh man, now I want to know about my grandparents," she groaned.

"I'm sure your parents will tell you," Gohan laughed. "Either that, or we can wait for next year."

"Maybe," she giggled. Then she yawned. "We should probably get some sleep; we have long days ahead of us."

"Right." The two floated down and returned to their sleeping bags and closed their eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

Summer was definitely going to be interesting, to say the least.

* * *

**A/N: For those of you who were asking the question, "Well why don't they just use the Dragon Balls to find out about Kat's parents?"**

**I was way ahead of you.**

**So, I got an assignment for all of y'all. I have number 4 and number 7 planned out, but I've got nothing for 2, 3, 5, and 6. Not to mention any other hijinks that might occur. Summer** **_is_ ** **Kat's worst season, after all.**

**My mission - if you choose to accept it - is to give me ideas. What is absolutely mandatory are the Dragon Ball chapters, then at the very least one or two extra adventures. My max for extras is about three to five; let's not get into** **_Phineas and_ ** **_Ferb_ ** **territory of summer vacation.**

**...That show lasted almost ten years, holy shit.**

**Anyway, if your suggestion doesn't make it, please don't feel bad. I appreciate all of your ideas and thoughts, but I can't take every single one.**


	24. Walk the Dinosaur

 

 

 

The first thing Kat did when she and the others woke up the next morning was check the radar. They had discovered the second Dragon Ball was a little north of Westview Lake, but before they went directly for their target, they had decided to explore the forest surrounding the area. Gohan was able to show off his vast knowledge of the wildlife - from plants and trees to birds and mammals - which he had learned through textbooks and living around them his whole life. Trunks was fascinated, while Kat joked all of his info would have been more useful to her while she was in Biology.

"There's always a Bio class you can take in college," Gohan countered.

"Jeez, Gohan, that's three years away," Kat chuckled. "You seriously think all of your nerdy knowledge is going to stick with me for that long?"

He chuckled as well and poked her forehead. "Maybe you should write it down if you won't remember it all up here," he advised.

"Ew, stop it!" Trunks suddenly cried. The two older half-breeds looked at him, thinking he was talking about an animal. Instead, he was making a face at _them_. "You're acting like Mom and Dad! It's gross!"

Gohan blushed profusely, and Kat growled. "Trunks, you brat!" she shouted before running towards him.

Trunks gulped. "Fly, Nimbus, fly!" he directed, and the cloud took off into the sky, not that it stopped Kat from following.

"Please don't let every day be like this," Gohan muttered to himself as Kat yelled in the distance.

Besides the wildlife lessons, though, Trunks also began his starting training regimen, with Kat making him do two sets of ten push-ups and three sets of five pull-ups each morning when they woke up and each night before they went to bed. At first the small boy complained, but she countered by telling him Vegeta would have been _much_ harsher.

"He would treat you like you're a full blooded Saiyan," she pointed out. "Not to mention you'd be waking up early in order to do this."

"Early?" Trunks repeated.

"Five-in-the-morning early."

There wasn't any complaining after that.

When they had their fill of the forest, the three travelers decided to move on and find their next prize. Nimbus flew over the landscape at a moderate pace, allowing them to see the sights and stop the cloud if they saw anything they wanted to study more closely but also so that they weren't lollygagging. They followed the blinking dot, and six days after finding the first Dragon Ball, they found themselves above a large, wide open plain.

"It's _huge_!" Trunks exclaimed. "There's almost nothing for miles!"

"Makes it easy for us," Kat stated as Nimbus flew a bit lower to the ground and towards one of the only few landmarks: a large but not steep crater. "With nothing in our way, this should be-"

"Please don't say easy," Gohan squeaked.

"Hmm?" Kat looked at him, confused. "Why not? I mean, I know it's summer, but..."

When she noticed he was paying attention to something else, she followed his gaze, and her face paled.

"Hey, what are you guys looking-" The small boy stopped, immediately seeing the threat that was heading straight for them.

"HIGHER, NIMBUS!" all three of them ordered in a panic. The cloud zoomed up high just as the T-rex chomped the air where they had been, barely missing Kat's tail.

The boys stared at the giant theropoda while Kat calmed her tail's frazzled nerves. "Now how are we supposed to get it?" Trunks whined. "It's practically right on top of it!"

Checking the radar, Gohan realized he was right. "Well, I could distract it, and then Kat can snatch the Dragon Ball," he offered.

"Can't you just kill it?" the youngest pointed out.

"I'd rather not," Gohan declined.

"Sneaking around it is a good plan, anyway," Kat agreed. "Don't worry, Trunks, we won't be long."

Trunks watched as Gohan jumped from Nimbus onto the field first. The black haired teen began to jump around, wanting to make sure that the dinosaur was focusing on him and not his friend. It wasn't that hard to do surprisingly; it seemed intent on following him anyway. When Gohan caught a glimpse of its tail, he figured out why and stopped with a wide smile.

"Oh, it's you," he realized. "I see your tail has grown back a bit. Though, it _has_ been nine years. Glad to see it's getting better." His old "sparring partner" tried to chomp at him, but Gohan just back flipped out of the way.

If there was one "evil" thing Gohan would do in a heartbeat, it was taunt this specific dinosaur. It had been such a bully to him during the first month or so of his training for the Saiyans that, once he learned how to defend himself, he began to show it off to the T-rex. And once he was strong enough, his favorite thing in the morning was to chop off some of its tail.

Best part, it tasted surprisingly good, so he always had protein to start out the day,

As Gohan continued to taunt the T-rex, Kat snuck to the circle of eggs, not wanting to find out what happened if she accidentally cracked one of them. Thankfully, though, the Seven-Star Ball was on the outer part of the circle, shining brilliantly, and she focused solely on it. She went to reach for it, only to be stopped by a hiss. Her tail puffed out again as she shakily turned her head towards the noise.

Neither boy had ever heard Kat shriek so loudly and girly before.

She shot off like a rocket, and Gohan - ceasing his taunts - followed after her. He caught her mid-flight, noticing she was trembling. "Kat, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked urgently.

It took forever thanks to her stuttering, but she finally managed, " _SNAKE!_ "

That got her a quizzical look. "Let me get this straight: you can take one of Vegeta's glares without batting an eye, but you can't handle a snake?" he questioned.

"They're scaly and creepy and gross, and it was going to swallow me whole!"

Gohan resisted the urge to face palm. "Kat, no snake alive is big enough to swallow you whole," he informed.

"Those beady eyes suggested otherwise!" she cried.

_There are sometimes when you wonder why you have a crush on someone,_ Yuki's words repeated in his head, and Gohan found himself agreeing. "Okay, new plan: _you_ distract the T-rex, and _I'll_ take on the garter snake," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I hate you," Kat grumbled.

He smiled before the two flew back down, swapping position. Gohan stealthily crept over to the nest once Kat had the dinosaur on her tail (thankfully not literally). Thanks to the T-rex, Kat's adversary (which had been a rather large green tree snake...still not big enough to swallow a person whole) had slithered away, denied of its meal of dino eggs and thankfully not mistaking the Dragon Ball for one. As Gohan went for the orb, though, he found himself facing a _much_ worse problem than some snake.

The mother.

And boy was she _pissed_.

Without so much as a squeak, Gohan zipped away like lighting, taking Kat with him as he flew high into the sky. The two half-breeds stared with wide eyes at the parents, who were glaring in return.

"Seriously, just kill them," Trunks suggested again as Nimbus floated over.

"No, Trunks, we're not killing wildlife for the sake of a Dragon Ball," Gohan sighed.

"Maybe we should just wait until nightfall," Kat piped up.

"We can try," Gohan stated slightly hesitant. No doubt the parents would be on high guard after their stunts today.

They waited until the sun had sunk far below the horizon; true to Gohan's prediction, not once had the dinosaurs moved from their post, and when one went to hunt, the other kept as close to the nest as they could. The kids mostly hung out in the sky since there was no immediate cover, but even Gohan had to admit he was getting pretty bored.

Reading books could only do so much.

Finally, they gave up. Retreating a mile or two back to the forest, they set up camp and ate dinner. Like many of the nights before, Trunks quickly fell asleep, leaving the older half-breeds awake to watch him. Though, in honesty, they were more focused on what the plan would be.

"They're going to be on high guard," Gohan theorized. "We'd have to be downwind, and yet somehow far enough to where they won't hear us."

"Gohan, you're asking for the impossible," Kat argued. "We'd need a scoop of some kind, and we don't have anything like that." She sighed. "I mean, maybe we could make one, but how effective would it actually be?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "I doubt either of us could make a net out of leaves-"

Then something hit him.

Who said it had to be out of the nature around them?

"You can make one!" he almost shouted, but remembering the sleeping boy, it was at a whisper.

Kat didn't quite follow. "What do you mean?" she inquired.

"Your illusions!" Gohan brought up. "If it's true you can make something solid just by thinking about it, then maybe you can make something that could help us."

"Well, I..." She looked at her hands. "I can try, I guess."

That was all he asked for.

Gohan watched as Kat concentrated, and for a while nothing happened. But Kat never got flustered, nor did she give up. She just kept trying, and eventually (and quite suddenly), there was a metal rod in her hand. Neither of them said anything as Kat focused on one of the ends, now looking to create the scoop they needed. A few more minutes of nothing passed before the scoop appeared, big enough to hold the Dragon Ball.

"Alright," Gohan said slowly. "Try picking up a rock."

She nodded, and carefully she lowered the illusionary scoop towards the ground. Then, with a flick of her wrists, she shoveled the rock into the wire mesh. The two Demis stared at the rock, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

For a moment, they forgot Trunks was asleep as they cheered in celebration.

"Wha-what's going on?" Trunks exclaimed, alarmed yet sleepy.

The black haired girl chuckled and showed him the scoop. "When we meet Mom, I can tell her the powers she passed down helped me find her," she replied.

Early the next morning, Kat had Trunks skip his morning routine so they could get the Dragon Ball before the dinosaurs began to roam around. Gohan figured out which way the wind was coming from, and once he had a direction he led the other two downwind.

Once they were in position about 20 feet away, Kat recreated her illusion, taking a little less time than the night before. Then Kat began to inch the scoop forward, making the metal rod longer and longer while making absolutely no noise in the process. When the mesh touched the Dragon Ball, the girl proceeded to get it into the scoop. It took a couple of tries, but finally the orb was inside, and the kids silently celebrated. Kat instantly retracted the rod and snatched the Seven-Star Ball out of the mesh, grinning ear to ear.

Suddenly there was a sharp gasp, and Trunks screamed, "Velociraptors!" The sleeping dinosaurs woke up to the noise just in time to see Gohan and Kat in fighting positions against the pack of predators running towards them.

"Trunks, get on Nimbus," Kat told the small boy. "We'll be right behind you."

"But-"

"Trunks, that's not a suggestion, it's an order!" she barked. "I want you somewhere safe, understand?"

Though he didn't look happy about it, Trunks nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he agreed before calling for the cloud. Nimbus flew to them, and Trunks hopped on as it swooped back up into the sky.

"They're after the eggs, no doubt," Gohan commented. "Normally I wouldn't screw with survival of the fittest, but we should let the dinosaurs know we're not a threat by helping them defend their nest."

"Let's scare them off, then," Kat stated. "I would say kill them, but then we'd be screwing with the laws of nature even more, don't cha think?"

Gohan smiled before moving to make the first attack. With the heel of his palm, he struck the velociraptor in front on the leg joint. The small dinosaur flew back and crashed to the ground on its side. Kat then grabbed the tail of the second in line and threw it, making it crash into three others. The kids continued holding off the egg stealers, but there were a few that slipped them by.

Those one didn't meet as fortunate a fate.

The parents - having no problem killing the velociraptors - stomped, slashed, and chomped at the small dinos until there was a small pile of bloody corpuses in front of them. Knowing they were beat, the few that were remaining scampered off, deciding to try and steal their meal another day.

Kat and Gohan let out breaths, and then they turned to the looming predators. The girl showed off the Dragon Ball. "We just took this," she informed them. "It's not one of your eggs. We'll leave you in peace, we promise."

While they might not have understood everything she said, they could see that the round object was nothing of their concern, and even though Gohan got a glare from his old "friend", the T-rex couple decided to let them go. With grins, the two Saiyans took to the skies, and Kat was finally able to admire her prize.

"Two down, five to go!" she exclaimed. "This is going pretty easy. We might have to slow down so that we can waste the summer away."

"Yeah," Gohan agreed. "Now let's call Nimbus and get back to exploring." Kat nodded, and the thirteen-year-old called for his family's cloud. In a few seconds, Nimbus flew to them...

Mysteriously missing Trunks.

"But... He got on Nimbus," Gohan recalled.

"And knowing him, he probably jumped off to explore on his own," Kat grumbled. "Should have known. Alright, I'm going to look for him." She flew off and called out his name.

No answer.

Agitated, she called it again. But still no answer. She growled. "Trunks, this game isn't funny, tell me where you are right now!" she roared for the whole plains and even some of the forest to hear.

But still, there was nothing.

Anger turned into worry. At her demand, she _knew_ Trunks would have tried to call out in response, or even make some sort of signal. And yet there was nothing. In the plains, there was nowhere to hide, and surely he wouldn't have been stupid enough to wander into the forest on his own. With no significant ki of his own to which she could track, he knew better than to do that.

Surely the velociraptors hadn't gotten to him; they would have heard a scream otherwise. So...then...

_W-was he taken by something else?!_

"Trunks, answer me!" Kat called out again, panic overriding her voice now. "Trunks Brief, answer, _answer!_ Trunks, where are you?! Answer me... ANSWER ME!

**"TRUNKS, WHERE ARE YOU?!"**

...

The small boy huffed; he hated sitting on Nimbus, waiting for Kat and Gohan to finish off the velociraptors. But as much as he wanted to jump off Nimbus and explore, he knew Kat would pitch a **_huge_** fit if he did. So he sat and waited above the forest, unable to see the fight anymore.

Suddenly, there was the sound of flapping wings, and they sounded _powerful_. Then a shadow loomed over him, and Trunks looked up and gaped at the huge pterodactyl that was heading straight towards him.

And he looked _hungry_.

"Nimbus, fly, NIMBUS FLY!" Trunks screamed.

The cloud took off with the predator right on their tail. Unfortunately, despite how fast Nimbus could fly, the winged reptile had been too close, and while they were able to dodge his huge jaw, Trunks couldn't flee the large talons. They gripped onto the half Saiyan tightly, and Trunks screamed as he was yanked off the cloud.

But he was too far away; no matter how good their Saiyan hearing was, neither of his older traveling companions would be able to hear Trunks call out for help. He was on his own, and he knew that if he didn't escape, he'd be this thing's lunch.

As they flew over the forest, with no other options, Trunks began to punch, kick, and even bite the leg of his captor. Finally, having enough of his annoyance, the pterodactyl let go...

Sending Trunks plummeting into the trees.

Lucky for him they had been low enough to where branches were immediately breaking his fall, not to mention his royal Saiyan genes, but that could only do so much since he was just four. When he hit the forest floor, he shrieked in pain, and when he finally recovered, he noticed his left arm was in a very strange position.

It was broken; even he could tell that.

What made it worse was that he had no idea which direction to head. Somewhere into the flight, he had lost his sense of north from west and east from south. There was no way of knowing which way the plains were, and to top it all off he had no food.

Some fine mess he was in.

Trunks could only pray, as he began to walk aimlessly, that Kat and Gohan found him before something far worse did.

* * *

**A/N: So, I'm really sorry that the velociraptor was really lame; I literally couldn't think of anything no matter how hard I tried, and neither could my beta. So I just threw my hands in the air and said, "Fuck it!"**

**...I've had a very stressful week, give me a bit of a break.**

**But oh noes, Trunks is missing!**


	25. Just Add Rice

"Trunks?" Gohan called out. He flew a little bit farther when there was no answer. "Trunks, can you hear me?"

As it had been for the past two days, there was nothing. Slumping his shoulders and deciding to call it an afternoon, Gohan flew back to the campsite they had set up, only to find Kat was still absent. Sighing, the half-breed flew back into the sky and towards her ki, finding her continuing to search frantically.

"Kat, it's going to get dark soon," Gohan informed her. "We have to stop for the day."

"But I have to find him!" Kat insisted. "Just give me another hour-"

"That's what you said last night, and the night before that," he interrupted. "You stayed up for seven hours after that each time, and between these last two nights you've gotten six hours of sleep." He put a hand on her shoulder, making her pause. "How are you supposed to find him if you collapse from exhaustion?"

Kat slumped, and Gohan could tell she felt defeated. "If Vegeta doesn't kill me, Bulma surely will," she stated. "He's my responsibility, and barely a week in, he goes missing. Not that him being my responsibility is even close to the main reason I'm scared." Her shoulders began to shake and her voice quivered. "I love that kid, Gohan. He's a bundle of joy, has been since day one. And if I lose him... Gohan, if I  _lose_  him, I... I-I don't know what I'll..."

Gohan frowned, and then he turned her around to pull her into a hug. "We'll find him," he assured, holding Kat tightly. "Think positively, okay?"

She nodded, and then she buried her face in his chest. "If only I had given him a Dragon Ball," she whispered in shame.

"When we find him, we will, just in case this happens again," he decided.

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place," Kat muttered. "It shouldn't have happened at all."

...

Since it had almost been a week, Bulma decided it would be a good day to call.

About a minute in, Vegeta realized it hadn't been.

"What do you mean he's-" What Kat said next cut off Bulma's screeching, but judging from his wife's angry, worried, mortified expression, it had something to do with Trunks.

After another minute or so, her face softened as she asked, "Gohan, what's wrong?" Clearly, the speaker had changed, and Vegeta was left wondering exactly what was going on. Then Bulma nodded, looking concerned. "Alright. Yeah, make sure she gets some sleep; there's no way she's traveling like that. Okay, good night, Gohan."

"What was that?" Vegeta questioned when Bulma hung up.

She joined him on the couch, looking at her lap. "Trunks is missing," she reported.

"He's missing?!" he repeated, shocked that the older Demis let that happen.

"Something came up where they couldn't watch him for a bit," Bulma relayed. "They thought he'd be safe on Nimbus. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and it's clearly not a game of hide-and-seek. Kat's in absolute hysterics over it. I was going to yell at her when she broke into sobs; she knew how upset we'd be, and she's probably just as distressed. Then Gohan told me she's only gotten six hours of sleep between these last two nights."

" _Three hours_ each night?!"

"Kat searches until three in the morning and wakes up at six just to try and find him," Bulma clarified, shocking him even further. "She's barely eaten, and I have a feeling those three hours aren't the most soundless. I'm almost concerned she'll worry herself sick."

Vegeta let the information soak in, still not able to fully believe it was real. But this wasn't something Kat and Gohan would joke about, and if he knew Kat like he did...

"They'll find Trunks," he voiced. Bulma looked at him. "Kat would stop her search for the Dragon Balls and scour every inch of the Earth to find him if she had to."

Bulma smiled. "Yeah, you're right," she agreed. "We really don't have to worry, do we? Though, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried at all." Vegeta snorted, and there was no way to tell if it was condescending or in agreement, though it sounded suspiciously more like the latter. "I'd adopt that girl in a heartbeat if I was able to."

Well, that came out of nowhere. "What makes you say that?" the Saiyan inquired.

"Just something I've been thinking about for a while," she replied. "Kagari really doesn't know what she's missing."

Even if it was random, Vegeta found himself agreeing, picturing Kat and Trunks playing happily with no restrictions.

They had to make it home in one piece first.

...

It was a wonder if Kat truly cared, but Gohan checked the Dragon Radar as Nimbus flew towards the mountains. They were heading towards the third ball, and Earth's hero pondered whether to tell her or not.

"Kat," he said, finally deciding. "We're heading near the third Dragon Ball. I know you probably don't care, but-"

"No." Gohan was surprised by her interruption. "It might be a stretch, but maybe Trunks is down there with it."

Gohan smiled, and he looked at the radar again to find something interesting. "Hey, the Dragon Ball's moving," he noted.

Suddenly, Kat looked excited. "Maybe it's Trunks!" she declared.

Definitely a stretch, but Gohan smiled anyway, because they  _were_ supposed to be thinking positively.

Trunks was down there.

Trunks had the Dragon Ball.

Trunks decided to begin searching eagerly for them.

Nimbus flew down to where Gohan directed it. As the cloud got closer, the two Saiyans noticed two machines, one pink and the other green. They looked sort of humanoid (even if the pink one was chubby and the green one had  _very_ lanky legs), and since their backs were to Kat and Gohan, the children couldn't tell if they were man operated or not.

One thing was certain: Trunks was definitely not there.

The fact disheartened the two, but Kat (ironically enough) shook her head and stated, "We're already here; let's get the Dragon Ball. I don't want these guys taking my wishes."

"Right," Gohan agreed.

Their ride flew down faster, but once they were about ten or twenty feet away, the pink one turned and fired two pink lasers. Surprised, the two half-breeds leapt off Nimbus (who flew away at the sign of trouble) and - as they hovered in place - watched the projectiles fly off into the distance.

"That was close," Gohan breathed in relief.

 _Not that they would have done that much,_ Kat thought, though she almost said it aloud.

Then she turned to find the pink machine had a cockpit with a woman (who seemed very spooked, probably because they were flying) inside. She had long black hair, blue eyes with red eyeshadow, red lipstick, a teal jacket with red star insignias on each shoulder, and black gloves.

Kat wasn't sure if the woman meant business of was meant to  _look like_ she meant business.

"Well, now we know not to blindly blow it up," Kat slightly grumbled. She had honestly wanted to make the thing explode for kicks.

"But how do you think she knew we were behind her?" Gohan pondered.

"They do have a Dragon Ball; maybe they have some sort of radar like we do," the girl hypothesized. "But it really doesn't matter. They have what I want, and I'm not leaving until it's mine."

"If there's one thing that will forever prove you spend too much time with Vegeta, it's the forceful demands," her friend half-joked. Kat glared, not thinking about how that would further prove his point, and he chuckled at the thought.

"That... That cloud..." the woman muttered, sounding a bit frightened.

So she  _was_ spooked by the two flying, but for a completely different reason.

"I-isn't that the same one that Goku kid had?" the pilot in the green mech asked. The kids noticed he was a Shiba Inu in purple ninja gear.

Not that it was truly their concern at the moment.

"These guys know Dad?" Gohan questioned.

"And from the sound of it, not in a friendly way," Kat observed.  _Not to mention that, once again, we're stuck with leftovers. Fantastic._

In a rare occurrence, Gohan smirked (though, admittedly, just a little). "Just like that Mercenary Tao guy three years ago," he commented with pride, yet another not-so-often sight. "He got scared when I told him I was  _Goku's son_."

Now the two were thoroughly frightened, so much so even their mechs were trembling. "I-if that's t-true..." the dog stammered.

"There's no way we're winning!" the woman exclaimed in a panic. They turned their machines around, ready to take off, but Kat zipped in front of them with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Then I suggest you comply with our demands," she instructed, her tone scaring the two even more. "We want the Dragon Ball you have, plus any information on a small boy with purple hair. You do that, we leave you in peace. You don't, we do this the hard way."

"D-Dragon Ball? We d-don't have o-one," the woman lied.

"A-and we don't k-know any little p-purple haired boy," her partner added.

"The hard way it is." Kat darted under the pink mech, put both hands on the underside, and hoisted it off the ground with ease. "Gohan, spike it!" she shouted before throwing it into the air.

While Gohan didn't use his fists, he did kick the mech with both feet mere inches from the top of the window. The machine crashed into the ground, leaving the woman inside frazzled for a minute. She recovered and fired the lasers again, but Earth's hero dodged all of the shots easily, even deflecting one so it blasted a chunk off the mountain instead.

As the boy toyed with his opponent, the dog began to fire missiles at Kat. She dodged them all with very little effort. When the last one came flying towards her, she kicked it into the air, but as the missile went flying, Kat's opponent used a flamethrower. Not expecting it, Kat screamed out in pain as the tip of her tail licked the flame. The appendage unwrapped itself and began to whip back and forth as she growled at the dog.

"Punk, you're going to pay for that!" she vowed.

But the ninja didn't seem all that interested. He just stared with  _very_ wide eyes. "She...has a tail," he observed in a small voice filled with shock. "Just like... Goku..."

His comrade stopped fighting Gohan and turned to the other mech. "Wait... You mean she can transform..." She gulped. "Into that big ape, too?"

Realizing they were talking about Oozaru, Kat smirked. "That's right," she told them with confidence, and they paled. "Of course, thanks to Piccolo a number of years ago, the moon doesn't exist, which means even if we wait until night, I can't." The two breathed with relief. " _However_ ," the stiffened as Kat formed a smirking grin, "my mentor showed me a way to transform  _without_ the moon."

In her palm, she created a small ki ball, just a bit smaller than a soccer ball. It wasn't actually a Power Ball, which she would have needed in order to become the giant ape, but it wasn't like they knew that.

"See, when I throw this Power Ball into the atmosphere, it'll create an artificial satellite that will give me the necessary zenos to transform," she informed, faking sincerity. "Of course, I don't  _have_ to. If you give me what I want, I won't throw it into the air. You continue to refuse..." Kat showed off her canines. "I transform, and I don't think you'd like that very much."

The two began to plead with her, asking her not to transform. Kat watched them beg with a smug look on her face, feeling satisfied, and Gohan continued to add reasons to his "Kat Spends Too Much Time with Vegeta" mental list.

Suddenly there was a bit of audio crackle, like someone had turned on a walkie-talkie. "Mai, Shu, what's taking you so long?!" a little, screechy voice demanded. Kat rubbed her temple with her free hand in annoyance.

Was the Dragon Ball and info about Trunks  _really_ too much to ask for?

"W-well, sir, we...have a small problem," the woman (who Kat guessed was the one named Mai) replied shakily.

"Th-there's this g-girl," Shu tried to explain, but his boss cut him off.

"Then blast her away!" he ordered. "What's stopping you; she's just a brat!"

"I can  _hear_ you!" Kat shouted. "And if you can hear me, listen up, because if I don't get what I want in the next thirty seconds," she made the ki blast a bit bigger, "your underlings will be under Oozaru's foot!"

"Oozaru?" the voice repeated. "What in the world is that?"

Mai and Shu gulped again. "I-I-I think that's th-the n-name o-of that giant ape," the dog correctly relayed.

"Giant ape?"

"R-remember, Emperor?" Mai added. "Th-the one that Goku kid t-turned into?"

There was silence, and then came  _very_ nervous laughter. "O-oh, I see," he stated. "S-so, um, wh-what is it that you want?"

Hopefully this time there wouldn't be a delay. "The Dragon Ball and any information on a small boy with purple hair," she once again repeated, this time very slowly so it soaked into their obviously pea-sized brains.

Though, once again, there was silence, and then out of the sky came another mech, this one blue, round, and short. Inside was a little blue imp, who almost looked like a kid getting their toy taken away.

"Like we'll hand  _my_  Dragon Ball over to  _you_!" he cried,  _sounding_ like a bratty kid.  _Ugh,_ _ **Trunks**_ _is better than this! Maybe he should wish himself to be a kid; at least it would make sense._ "We're not scared of you!"

"Funny, the last few minutes suggested otherwise," Kat taunted, starting to get beyond her limit. "But if you're THAT confident, I guess I'll just throw the ball in 5..."

The group looked very determined, ready to take on Oozaru.

"4..."

There was still no faltering, so Kat pulled her arm back.

"3..."

With the countdown coming close to an end and a visual sign that she was willing to do it, the trio began to doubt themselves.

"2..."

Now they became blue in the face as they clearly began to recall some terrifying memories, but Kat didn't let that small victory get to her just yet.

They just needed one more small push.

"Ooooonnnneeee-"

"Okay, okay, we'll give you the Dragon Ball!" the imp caved in.

"Aaaaand-"

"We don't know anything about a little kid, honest!" Mai exclaimed.

Kat raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she questioned like she didn't believe it.

"We're telling the truth, we swear!" Shu backed up.

"But we'll help you!" the woman offered. "Really, we can! We can have cameras set up for miles, promise!"

"Mai!"

"Emperor Pilaf, we don't have a choice!"

The girl snorted. "Smart woman," she stated as she floated to the ground. "I suggest you listen, Imp." With the "Power Ball" still in her palm, she began to walk over to the mechs, and Mai opened her cockpit. In her hand, there was the Four-Star Ball, and Kat swiped it without a second thought. She held it up and examined it, then she looked back at them. "This  _is_ the real deal, right? I'm not going to collect the rest and find out I've been cheated,  _right_?"

"No miss, absolutely not!"

"And you'll cease your search for them?"

"Of course, they're your wishes!"

Gohan sighed at how Kat was able to wrap them around her finger so easily. "Good," Kat said. She tossed the orb up to Gohan, who caught it with ease. "Now, do you have something so I can keep in contact with you?"

Shu opened up his own window and gave Kat a walkie-talkie. "We'll have those cameras out by tomorrow, at the very latest," Mai informed. "And you'll be the first to know if we find anything."

Kat nodded. Then she flew up to the other half-breed. "Let's get going," she told him. "We still have plenty of light, and I want to use as much of it as we can."

"Right," Gohan agreed. Then he called for Nimbus, and the cloud returned. The two Saiyans hopped on, and Nimbus began to fly.

"Good luck!" they heard from below.

The boy turned and waved with a smile before Nimbus flew so far the trio was out of sight. At that point, Gohan looked at Kat. "So... Did Vegeta  _actually_ teach you about the Power Ball?" he asked.

" _HELL_ no!" Kat replied. "When I asked if he could, he went through the roof. I seriously thought for a moment it was Bulma in disguise."

"That's why they're married, right?" Gohan laughed.

"Yeah..." Kat sighed. "And that's why they'll kill me if we don't find Trunks."

Gohan frowned. "We'll find him," he assured again. "And now we have help. They clearly have technological skills, so I don't think they were lying about the cameras."

"Hopefully you're right, Gohan," Kat voice.

As Nimbus flew over the land, both of the Saiyans had the same thought:

_Hang in there, Trunks. We'll find you soon._


	26. There's a Boy In The Woods

He was tired; if his mom or Kat were with him, they'd probably say he looked dead on his feet. And he should know. When he looked into the stream earlier that day, he looked awful, like that one time his dad and Zangya ganged up on Mirai. By the time all three walked into the living room, his future self looked like he was going to topple any second.

Trunks was the same.

The poor kid had barely eaten in the five days he was separated from the two older Demis (since Gohan's constant reminders that some of the food in the forest was poisonous kept him from picking anything), and his only source of water was the stream that he found three days before. On top of that, he barely slept; without Kat or Gohan, he didn't feel safe closing his eyes to so much as blink. The pterodactyl had scared him good, to the point where - even if it was nothing more than a cracking twig - he jumped and ran a bit faster.

And now... He felt hot for some reason. And a little dizzy, too.

Sleeping sounded...sounded really good right...

"N-no," Trunks muttered. "Not...u-until I find... I-I'm strong...like Dad... He w-wouldn't..."

What Trunks failed to understand was that Vegeta was forty and a warrior who had been through tougher situations.

Four-year-old Trunks had not.

With no more strength left, the small boy collapsed on the ground, falling unconscious.

...

There was no way to know how 17 felt about the past week. No poachers meant no animals or plants harmed, but it also meant no action. At least his wife was finally letting him take their adoptive twelve-year-old son on a tour of the preservation; Jake would have to be familiar with the place if he wanted to be a ranger one day.

Suddenly there was a screech, and the two males looked up to find a hawk diving towards them. Jake held out his arm, and the hawk perched on it, looking at the boy's brown eyes. "Sapphire, what's wrong?" he asked.

Sapphire cried out again and then tilted her head to the right. Apparently she had seen something off the beaten path near the stream. Then the hawk took flight again to show them the way. Since that was restricted area, 17 suspected poachers and pulled out his gun before following the family's "pet".

What they found, though, wasn't a poacher.

17 almost wished that had been the case.

Jake sprinted over to the unconscious boy and felt his neck, almost immediately retracting it. "Dad, he's running a _huge_ fever!" he reported. "And he looks malnourished, too!"

"I'm almost afraid to find out what else is wrong with him," 17 muttered to himself, putting his gun away and joining Jake's side. He scooped up the small boy, desperately trying to ignore how hot to the touch he was and all of the infected cuts, bruises, and the obvious broken left arm.

"We'll bring him back to the house and get him treated," he stated. "Get on my back, Jake; I'm going to fly, and I don't want you in the forest alone."

"Yes, sir," Jake complied.

He climbed onto his adoptive dad and clung tightly to his shoulders. Once 17 was sure the young boy was secure, he took off and flew to the cabin as quickly as he could.

It took about two minutes for the cyborg to reach the house, and once he touched down, Jake hopped off and opened the door. They ran inside, scaring 17's other adoptive child - ten-year-old Brianna - and slightly spooking his only child - one-year-old Logan. But neither he nor his son noticed as they raced upstairs and into one of the guest rooms.

"Dad!" Brianna cried as she watched the man set the small boy in bed. "What's going on?"

"You and your brother need to get me plenty of clean towels a basin of cold water, disinfectant, bandages, and a make-shift sling _now_ ," 17 ordered.

Knowing that was his "don't ask questions" voice, both children ran to grab what their father had told them to retrieve. In a flash they were back, and 17 began to treat the boy.

"Where's your mother?" 17 inquired.

"Sh-she's not here," Brianna answered, fearing a scolding. Her father was prepared to grumble something about his wife being irresponsible _again_ , but Brianna quickly continued. "Th-the office called her! A-apparently there are some suspicious people in restricted area, and since they're understaffed at the moment, they made her go."

"Fine, she gets a pass," the man sighed.

His son wasn't concerned where his mother was, though. All Jake was focused on was the purple haired boy in severe condition. "Dad, do you think he's going to be okay?" he questioned.

At first, 17 was going to say the chances were slim, but then he studied the little boy he had tended to, and suddenly something seemed very familiar.

_He looks like the Saiyan with the sword three years ago,_ 17 thought. _But he's definitely younger. Is he a brother, or is there something else?_

Then he realized something far more important.

Whether they were brothers or there was a bigger mystery at play, that didn't change one undeniable fact.

"Well," 17 smirked, "he is Vegeta's son, and if I know that man, there's no doubt this kid's just as stubborn." His adopted children gave him questioning glances. He returned them with a confident smile. "I'd say there's a fairly good chance he'll be okay."

...

"Mai, are you sure he's around here?" Kat asked.

"Our drone cameras saw him enter through that direction," the woman reported. "That was three days ago."

That was good and bad at the same time, but mostly bad. "Three days ago? Are you sure?" Kat questioned urgently.

"How dare you talk to us in that tone, I am Emperor-"

"Imp, you raise your damn voice one more time, I will turn _right_ back around to throw the Power Ball straight into the sky." The three pleaded for her not to change into the Oozaru, and Gohan sighed. "Mai, _are you absolutely sure_?"

"N-not absolutely," Mai informed, regaining composure faster than her comrades. "I can check again. But the trees are thick; it might be hard to get a clear image."

"She has a point there," Gohan piped up. "On Nimbus it's hard to see anything."

"Then I guess we'll just go on foot," Kat decided. Her friend nodded, and the two Demis jumped off the cloud.

"I would say be careful, but I doubt there's anything in there that could hurt you," Mai stated.

Kat chuckled slightly as she rapped her knuckles on the tree next to her. "Alright, contact us if you find anything," she instructed.

"We'll have something for ya lickety-spilt!" Shu promised.

"Hopefully," Mai added. "Good luck."

Once the line was off for the moment, Gohan looked around. "This forest is huge; I wouldn't know where to start looking," he commented.

"Let's find a river," Kat suggested. "I told Trunks that if we should ever get lost, find a river and start moving downstream, because that's where civilization usually is."

"Great idea!" Gohan complimented, smiling. Maybe she _would_ have been able to survive those first six months. Besides, technically, she _was_ older. Thank you, Hyperbolic Time Chamber. "Let's go look for it."

The two strained their ears as they walked through the forest, listening for flowing water. Thanks to their Saiyan hearing, they were able to hear it in no time, and they quickly followed it to the source. There, they found exactly what they were looking for, and besides the fresh scent of water, something else hit their sensitive noses:

Trunks' faint scent, and the metallic tang of blood.

"It's sickly," Gohan noted. "That isn't good."

"The fact that we can smell all of this even after three days isn't good, either," Kat mentioned. "That means he was dragging his feet; I'm almost afraid to find him collapsed."

"Let's make sure that isn't the case," the half human declared.

They nodded to each other before running down the stream, following the two faint scents. But they barely got a couple hundred feet before they were stopped by a woman with auburn hair in a messy ponytail, pale green eyes, and a pistol.

"Hands where I can see 'em, you two!" she ordered. Immediately, the two complied, noting her ranger uniform. "What are you kids doin in restricted area?"

"R-restricted area?" Gohan repeated.

"Darn right! There be signs all over; how the hell didja miss 'em?" she demanded.

"Ma'am, please, we're not here to cause any harm!" Kat promised. "We just want to find our friend. We lost him five days ago, and we have reason to believe he wandered in here."

"Uh huh," the ranger said in a disbelieving tone. "We be seein' bout that." She pulled out a walkie-talkie with her gun still pointed at the two. "This is Toshie. Anyone see a lost person?"

A few seconds passed before someone responded negative. There were four others that said the same thing, making Toshie glare at the Saiyans. They gulped, expecting the worst, but Toshie decided to wait a bit longer.

They were thankful she did.

"Description," a calm male voice requested.

Toshie raised an eyebrow but then looked at Kat for an answer. "Short purple hair, light blue eyes, and the last time I saw him he was wearing a white t-shirt with Capsule Corp. in navy blue letters, gray sweats, and hiking boots," the girl described. "And he's four years old."

"You be mighty irresponsible, littl missy," Toshie scolded.

"You're not exactly one to talk," the man chuckled. She scowled and blushed. "I heard the description; bring them home, Toshie."

"Bring 'em home?"

"That's what I said." Then he cut off the communication.

The ranger looked confused but shrugged and put her walkie-talkie and gun away, letting the two relax. "Come along, you two. Guess yer wanted back home," Toshie told them. They nodded and followed her to the main path, where her jeep was. All three of them jumped in, and once the woman started it up, she took off.

It took a few minutes to reach the cabin, and the kids were amazed. It was simple - made of almost nothing but wood and not being too extravagant - but it was also _huge_ ; the top floor easily had six or seven well-sized rooms, and the bottom floor matched it in size, plus the garage. Toshie didn't park in it, though; instead, she parked parallel to the cabin right in front of the front door.

Hearing the screeching of the tires, a girl with short dirty blonde hair, light brown (almost hazel) eyes, and tan skin opened up the door apprehensively. "Mom, are those the two people who gave the description?" she asked with a slight twang of nervousness. Toshie nodded. "Dad's in the living room."

Kat and Gohan nodded (deciding to look over her strange jitters for the moment) before jumping out and quickly making their way inside. They easily made their way to the living room, finding a man sitting on the couch. He had short black hair, icy blue eyes, earrings in both of his ear, an orange scarf-

"Hold on, you're 17, aren't you?" Gohan realized.

17 smirked. "I know for a fact I didn't see you, Kid," the cyborg responded. "Must have heard my description."

"Never mind that, do you know where Trunks is?" Kat asked urgently.

"If I tell you, will you promise not to go tearing off?" The tone of his voice let the two know he'd kick their ass if they did, so Kat and Gohan nodded. 17 tilted his head up. "Your friend's sleeping upstairs," he revealed. "If you're going to go into his room, be _very_ quiet; he's still recovering. He's in the second room on the left."

Concern and before anyone could do anything, Kat bolted, making 17 pinch the bridge of his nose. "Don't worry, she'll enter the room calmly," Gohan assured. _Hopefully_ , he added to himself. "It's just that Trunks is her responsibility; she's practically worried herself sick looking for him."

"I see." Then 17 snickered. "It's been a while since I've seen someone besides me care about what they're responsible for," he remarked.

"Oh, hardy har _har_ ," Toshie spat, and Gohan turned to find that she had entered the house, now scowling and blushing. "Yer welcome for doin _yer_ job, by the way. I ain't no ranger, I's a zoologist. I can't scare nobody for crap."

_Could have fooled me,_ Gohan thought.

"Right, you're just a little angel," 17 commented. His wife snorted. "Gohan, go upstairs if you want. Just be _calm about it_."

"Uh... R-right," the teen laughed nervously, slightly confused as to how the cyborg knew his name.

Then again, knowing Dr. Gero, he probably programmed Gohan's data in, too.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Kat had slowed down and entered slowly, shaking slightly with worry. Trunks looked weak with his pale, flushed face, his shallow breathing, and his body covered in bandages. Kat made her way to his side and sat in the chair next to the bed. She watched the boy sleep, and soon she unwrapped her tail from her waist, guiding it to his chest. Then Kat began to gently glide it along, and Trunks relaxed a tad.

"Kat..." he moaned lowly in his sleep. "Go...han..."

"He's been doing that for a while now," someone stated. Kat turned to find a boy with short dark blond hair and dark brown eyes. He walked over to the half-breed and sat in the stool next to her. "Sometimes he'll call out for his parents, too."

"Can't say I blame him," Kat replied. "He's only four, even though he always tries to act older."

"For a four-year-old, he's quite durable," the boy noted.

"Trunks is half Saiyan," Kat told him. "We have stronger immune systems and body structures than humans."

"Oh. So that's what Dad meant," he muttered. The girl looked at him to explain. "He said that because he's Vegeta's son, there's a good chance he'll live."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," the girl chuckled lightly, finally managing a small smile.

They sat in silence for a bit before he spoke up again. "I'm Jake, by the way," he introduced.

"Kat," she responded. "Thanks for finding Trunks and taking care of him. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't find him."

"We're glad to help," Jake insisted. "I'm just glad we found him when we did, and he's doing a lot better than he was earlier."

"That's good," Kat sighed. "It means he's recovering nicely." Jake nodded, and the two fell silent again.

Suddenly, Kat shuffled, having a question on the tip of her tongue but unable to voice it. "So, um... A-are you..." The boy raised an eyebrow. "N-no, never mind. It's stupid and unimportant."

There were a few more moments of silence before Jake answered, "I'm adopted, yes." Kat jumped and then looked at the ground in guilt. "Hey, don't do that. I'm not ashamed of it. Besides, I look _nothing_ like my parents." She felt a little better, but not by a whole lot. "My sister is adopted, too. Our brother isn't, though. He's napping, so I'm pretty sure you haven't seen him."

Kat nodded. "Have... Have you ever met your real parents?" she inquired cautiously.

"I lived with them until I was nine," he informed, which surprised her. "My parents were - maybe still are - pretty poor, and they figured I was their ticket out. I'm considered a jack-of-all-trades, which to them meant I might be able to do something big and help them out. But...not so much with Brianna."

"What happened?"

Jake sighed. "See, I didn't have to try that hard at almost everything," he explained. "Brianna did. She put her heart and soul into anything she tried, and sometimes she still failed. Our parents... They called her worthless, a waste of what little money they had. So they were going to put her in an orphanage and keep me, but I told them we stay together or go together, and well... You know the result. We only stayed in that God-forsaken place for a year, but it was a long year."

Then he smiled. "But I like it here," he assured. "Dad and Mom are nice, it's really beautiful here, and Brianna is starting to open up again. She used to be really peppy and outgoing, and I'm glad that in being here, she's becoming her old self again."

Again, Kat nodded, and then her knee began to jerk up and down. Jake looked at it and then her eyes, waiting for an explanation.

"I... I'm adopted, too," she told him. "And since I was sent here from somewhere out in space, I've never met my parents. We're collecting the Dragon Balls - which can grant any two wishes - and that's how I'm going to find out about them. But... I'm kind of scared. I mean, what if they sent me away because they didn't like me or want me?"

"Hey, don't let my story make you think your parents are the same," Jake stated. "Think positive."

"That's what I tell her all the time," Gohan piped up as he walked in, making the two turn to him and finding an amused smile. "Clearly I don't say it enough."

The girl rolled her eyes but said nothing to argue against either of them. As she looked back at Trunks and watched her tail pet him (as it had done the entire time without her realizing), Kat felt Gohan's arms circle around her, and his chin rested on the top of her head. She leaned back as much as the chair would allow, reeling in his comfort. Sometimes he seemed like a life-sized teddy bear.

Fitting how he had given her a teddy bear for her eleventh birthday.

"Trunks will wake up," he promised with confidence. "And once he does, we'll collect the rest of the Dragon Balls, find out who your parents are, and they _will_ have a good reason."

She was always glad for Gohan's confidence, and she smiled. "Alright," she agreed. Gohan smiled as well.

"Come on, we should give your friend some space," Jake advised.

"Right." The half human squeezed Kat. "Let's go, Kat; I smell dinner being made," Gohan said.

"Okay," Kat complied. She and Jake got out of their seats, and the three began to leave.

"Kat..." Trunks moaned out again, and they turned to look at him. "Go...han..."

Kat smiled and walked back over. Then she leaned down, pushed his bangs back, and lightly kissed his forehead. "Get better soon, okay?" she whispered.

Trunks moaned again, this time in seemingly relief. "Love...you..."

His caretaker smiled even bigger. "Love you too, tough guy." She gently ruffled his hair, and then she walked back to the boys, closing the door behind them as they left.

...

"He was suffering from a high fever, and many of his cuts were showing early signs of infection. His left arm is broken, too," 17 reported as the group ate dinner. The man himself was having some iced tea, having the same unfortunate side effect as his sister. "But we've been able to bring his fever down and get his arm in a make-shift cast, and I'm fairly certain we got all of the cuts. I think he should be on his feet in a few days."

"So we're staying here, then?" Gohan asked.

"Not unless you want to pay a fine for camping," the ranger replied.

Gohan wasn't exactly happy to discover the cyborg had 18's sense of humor.

"I should probably call Bulma and tell her about Trunks," Kat thought aloud.

Toshie tried to say something, but her mouth was full, resulting in her words being inaudible. "Jeez, did I marry a child or something?" 17 mumbled.

His wife glared but swallowed her food before saying, "After dinner, missy."

"And use the land line," 17 added. "Cell phones tend to not work out here." Kat nodded.

"So, um, if you don't mind me asking, what are sleeping arrangements?" Gohan brought up.

"As long as you aren't in Brianna's room and Kat isn't in Jake's, do what you want," 17 stated.

"Gohan, you're with me, no questions," Jake demanded.

The Saiyan laughed at his boldness, a slight pang of homesickness hitting him as he was reminded of Yuki. "Alright, sure!" he agreed.

"Hey Brianna, why don't you and I have a sleepover?" Kat offered.

Brianna seemed to sink into her chair at the question. "W-well, you might not like my room," she argued meekly. "A-and I don't have another bed. Plus, I think I sleep talk, not to mention I-"

"Alright, Bri, nough with the Negative Nelly," Toshie sighed.

Kat was grateful for the interruption; she didn't know how much more she could take. Apparently some of her annoyance was shining through, though, because Gohan gave her a look that pretty much said, _See what you put me through?_ Kat glared and kicked his chair over, sending him crashing to the floor.

At least Logan found it amusing.

"Well it's _true_ ," Gohan grumbled as he picked himself and his chair up.

"Um, Gohan... Y-you didn't say anythin," Brianna pointed out.

"She know what I _wanted_ to say," the half-breed responded. Kat rolled her eyes and then looked at the younger girl with a smile.

"I don't care what your room looks like, Brianna; it isn't my place to judge," Kat began. "And I don't mind sleeping on the floor. I have my sleeping bag. _And_ whatever problem you may or may not have with sleep talking, don't worry; I have a pet frog."

"O-oh." Brianna fumbled with her hands. "W-well, i-if you want to."

Kat shook her head. "Do _you_ want to?" she asked.

For a while, the blonde shuffled in her seat, thinking about her answer. Finally, she took a deep breath and replied, "I-I wouldn't mind."

"Cool!" Kat smiled widely. "Don't worry, Brianna, we'll have fun! And if you find you don't want me in your room, I'll leave. I don't mind using a guest room."

She looked like she wanted to argue, but then Brianna closed her mouth and nodded. "O-okay." The half Saiyan giggled happily.

When everyone finished dinner, they all cleared their own plates, and the first thing Kat did when she was done was call Bulma. The worried woman immediately asked about her son, and Kat was glad she had good news this time around.

"He's safe?!" Bulma repeated, squealing with delight. Then she sighed. "Thank goodness. I was barely getting sleep myself. How is he?"

"Well right now, he's sleeping a mild fever away," Kat reported. "But 17 says he should be up and about in a few days, with his Saiyan genes and all."

"Yeah, sounds about right," the woman stated, repeating exactly what Kat had said about the situation. "You Saiyans are like cockroaches, only more tolerable and less disgusting...sometimes."

Kat giggled as she thought about how messy Trunks and even Gohan could be at times, and then she abruptly stopped and frowned. "Bulma, I... I'm really sorry this all happened to him," she apologized. "I should have kept a closer eye on him, and I-"

"Kat, that's enough!" Vegeta ordered, surprising her. Either Bulma had it on speaker or the prince was close enough to hear and snatched the phone; though she figured, in the end, it didn't matter. "You said he's safe and recovering, right?"

"Right," Kat said with slight shame.

"And he should be up in a few days, correct?"

"Correct."

"Then that's all that matters," Bulma voiced. "You know what you should do to prevent it from happening again. There's only so much you can control, so don't beat yourself up, okay?"

The girl wiped a stray tear away before nodding. "Okay," she agreed quietly. "I'll have Trunks call you the moment he feels up to it."

"Alright," Bulma responded. "We'll talk to you soon."

Both parties hung up, and Kat sighed softly. Then, not wanting to worry Brianna, she smiled and quickly made her way upstairs.

With 17's help, Kat easily found Brianna's room, and she knocked at the door. "I-it's unlocked," came the quiet reply. Kat sighed inwardly before opening the door, surprised at what she found.

Posters covered the wooden walls, from games to anime to bands (a few that Kat didn't recognize). By some definition, Brianna was a nerd, and a mystery was clearly solved. "Is this what you were so afraid of me seeing?" Kat asked.

Brianna nodded. "I... I figured you would...make fun of me," she stated.

"Nonsense!" Kat argued, studying a poster of _Sakamichi no Apollon_. She smiled, already replaying the jazzy tunes in her head. "I love this kind of stuff. I'm actually a  _huge_ junkie for _Kidō Butōden Jī Gandamu_."

"But that's so cheesy," Brianna voiced, slowly becoming more confident.

"That's why I keep coming back!" the half Saiyan laughed. Then she grinned wildly and pointed dramatically as she shouted, " _Shining Finger!_ "

The younger girl couldn't help but giggle. "Wh-what about _Tengen Toppa Guren Ragan_?"

"A drill that will pierce the heavens!" Kat exclaimed, causing both girls to go into a fit of giggles.

They talked about "nerdy things" for what felt like hours, with Brianna growing in confidence every minute. She even finally took over the conversation for once by explaining some of the bands Kat didn't know, and for a simple reason.

"They're kind of obscure," Brianna informed as she showed Kat an anime-like poster of _Girls Generation_. "Some archeologists believe, a long time ago, Earth spoke more than one language. One of them is what they're callin' Kankokugo. So some people got together and started creatin' bands where they sing in that language. They call it K-Pop for short. It hasn't hit mainstream media, so not many people know about it."

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Kat commented. "Think you could share some of your favorites with me?"

"I'll put some on a flash drive for ya tomorrow," Brianna promised. "Don't worry bout returnin' it."

"Thanks!" Then Kat yawned. "Guess we should be going to bed, huh?"

The dirty blonde nodded. "Dad's thinkin of takin' ya on a mornin' run tomorrow," she relayed. "At least, that's what I overheard. I think he wants you and Gohan to do somethin' while yer here."

"That makes sense," Kat said. "But what's morning around here?"

Suddenly, Brianna was very nervous as she stuttered out, "Five."

There was silence, and then a harsh sigh. "Men," Kat grumbled before she flopped onto her blowup bed. "Well, good night, Brianna."

"Night," the other girl replied quietly, making Kat sigh inwardly again.

For a while, she mentally grumbled at the idea of waking up at five in the morning to help 17 with his job, but then a thought popped into her head. _It'll keep you distracted,_ she realized. _Maybe that's why 17's brining us along, otherwise we'd mope about Trunks all day._ She frowned, and then she closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

_Trunks... Get better soon._


	27. Rest and Recover

**A/N: Guys, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.**

**You don't understand how apologetic I am right now. Over these past few months I've been battling low motivation leaning towards depression. I know when you hear that, all of you want to go to the reviews and say, "Don't worry about it, I'm so sorry" or something along those lines, but please don't. Or, at least, don't make it the only thing you say. I'm upset at myself for letting my condition getting to me and for keeping you guys waiting so long.**

**But thanks for sticking around. I'm not sure how fast I'll be getting the other chapters out, but I'm going to try my best to get them out faster in the future.**

**Anyway, you guys aren't here for all of this BS. You're here for another chapter. So, here you patient people go.**

* * *

"Wow, I'm impressed," 17 commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Impressed by what?" Kat asked.

"That you managed to wake up this early with the boys," the cyborg replied. "Most people from the city would complain." Kat scowled slightly as Gohan and Jake chuckled quietly.

"That's stereotyping!" she accused.

17 only shrugged, and the girl scowled even more harshly. "Alright," he began, ignoring Kat's annoyance. "We're going out on the morning run. I want you guys to keep your eyes and ears open. If you notice anything suspicious, we'll check it out. Got it?"

"Sounds easy enough," Gohan voiced. "It's like hunting back home."

"Exactly," the man agreed. "The two of you are going to make it easier with your keener senses, but that doesn't mean you can let down your guard." Then he smirked at Kat. "And that doesn't mean I won't be watching to see if you tire out, City Girl."

City Girl flipped him the bird.

They piled into 17's Jeep, and he took off to where their morning patrol would start. The calm, crisp, clean air whipped past them as he drove, and Kat found herself losing her annoyance. She smiled and quietly breathed it in as they drove in silence, letting her thoughts drift to Trunks.

Brianna was apparently a girl who _really_ hated waking up at any point before ten in the morning, but when Kat stealthily got ready, the blonde haired girl climbed out of bed. It had startled Kat a bit, and she was about to apologize for waking her. Brianna wasn't upset, though; in fact, in a very rare instance, she was glad because she wanted to check on Trunks' condition.

Trunks was actually doing pretty well; he was much more relaxed, his face void of tension and he was breathing evenly. His fever was almost nonexistent, and when Brianna changed his bandages, the girls discovered his wounds had scabbed over nicely. Satisfied, Kat had left, with Brianna promising to keep an eye on him until she returned.

"Hey." Kat snapped out of her thoughts to look at Jake. "I hope you don't have your head in the clouds when we're on patrol," he stated. "Dad always tells me you need to be on alert at all times."

"Right," Kat responded. Then she smiled. "That's why I'm getting all of my thinking out of the way."

"Good," 17 said. "Trunks will be fine, you don't need to worry. I need you to be on the lookout for-"

"Illegal campfires?" Gohan piped up, pointing at a faint smoke trail.

A growl was the only warning before 17 slammed on the brakes, abruptly stopping the jeep. "Damn, stupid..." 17 took the keys and jumped out. "And I have a feeling I know who they are, too," he grumbled before storming off in the direction of the fire.

With worried glances, the three kids quickly followed 17 into the thick of the woods. It didn't take long for them to reach the unauthorized site, and when they did...

Well...

"I thought I told you two the reservation isn't a camping ground!" 17 shouted at the two young men.

Not surprisingly, they jumped before glaring at each other with fear-filled eyes. "I thought you said he wouldn't come here this early," the long haired male hissed.

"Says the guy who thought it was okay to camp here in the first place," his shorter companion shot back.

"My fault? You're the idiot who got us lost."

"Because you just _had_ to see that waterfall three miles off the main path."

"ENOUGH!" 17 roared, making the two jump again, as well as his young helpers. "I don't care why or how you're here, this is the _fourth **time** _ you two have been caught camping illegally! How many fines do I have to send before you get it through your thick skulls? Or should I just have you sent to jail, huh?"

There were two thick audible gulps before they shook their heads. "N-no, sir," they replied.

17 grunted. "Now, I'm going to supervise you two clean this place up," he instructed. "It better be **_100%_** clean, _understand_?"

"Yes, sir."

They began to clean their campsite with 17's cold, stern icy blue eyes observing their every move. Meanwhile, the children were practically frozen stiff at the display of authority the ranger had just demonstrated. "Well, now I get why Dad's considered the scariest ranger," Jake finally brought up.

"Krillin did mention he scared a couple of poachers to the other side of the planet once," Kat remembered.

"And you know, I'm now inclined to believe that isn't an exaggeration," Gohan concluded.

Once the illegal campers were done cleaning and 17 had inspected every inch to make sure it was perfectly clean, the ranger allowed them to be on their way, promising them that a notice to pay their fine would arrive in a day or so. Sighing, the young men nodded and left thanks to the directions 17 had given them.

"Alright, you three, let's get back on the road," he announced, beginning to walk back to where he had parked the jeep. "We still have more to cover." They nodded and followed him.

"17, is everything this morning going to feel like an hour in itself?" Kat piped up. For a while, he didn't answer, but then he turned his head and smirked. Kat's eyes widened before she glared, fuming. "It's a legitimate question, damn it! Stop with the stupid stereotyping already!"

"Depends," 17 answered. "The fact that we were standing around didn't help, but if we had given them a hand, they'd keep coming back. Now, if we were chasing down poachers..." He eyed Kat's tail and smirked wider. "Well, just don't let your instincts take over."

The girl frowned. "You _really_ like stereotyping, don't you?" she grumbled.

"Vegeta kind of makes it too easy to poke fun at him, and I figured you'd be the same way since you're his student." He snickered. "I was right."

Kat furiously chased him all the way back to the jeep, Jake and Gohan sighing as they followed.

...

" _You can count on me like one, two, three, I'll be there_ ," Brianna hummed along with the music as she put the rag into the bucket of cold water.

She smiled, reminding herself that the group of four would be back soon for lunch. Sure, her dad wasn't going to be happy that Toshie had gone out again (especially since it was only for a herd of deer she had seen), but perhaps some food and Trunks' good condition would soften his mood.

...Hopefully.

After ringing the rag of excess water, the blonde haired girl walked back over to Trunks, placing the damp rag on his forehead while she continued to sing along. She turned around to grab the bandages, but before she took a step, she heard Trunks groan, "Kat?" Brianna turned, expecting to see him still asleep.

So it caught her off guard when she saw him narrowly opening his eyes.

For a while, all she did was stare at him, speechless. As she did, Trunks slowly turned his head, his tired blue eyes meeting her brown ones. "You're not Kat..." he observed weakly, his voice scratchy.

Finding her voice, Brianna smiled softly. "No, but I am a friend of hers," she replied, kneeling beside the bed. "Did you think I was her?"

"Yeah... She likes to hum..." Trunks explained. "But I should have known... Her singing voice isn't as pretty as yours."

His compliment had her blushing slightly, but she didn't argue against it like she usually did. Instead, she asked, "How do you feel?"

Trunks thought for a bit. "Weak..." he croaked. "I feel better than I remember being, though."

"That's good," Brianna commented. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"Thirsty," he stated.

"Alright." She stood up. "I'll be right back."

Quickly but quietly, Brianna went downstairs and made a cup of cool water. When she made her way back to the room, she discovered the four-year-old was trying to sit up on his own, but he was a bit too weak, and his left arm was certainly not helping. Brianna set the glass on the nightstand and helped him out, propping up the pillows so it would be comfier for him. Then she instructed him to take slow, small sips and to space them out so that his stomach could readjust to something being there.

"Where are Kat and Gohan?" he questioned after his second sip.

"They're out with my dad and brother," Brianna explained. "They should be back soon, though. It's almost time for lunch."

He nodded and took a few more sips before he frowned. "Are... Are they mad at me?" he whispered.

"Not at all," the ten-year-old assured. "Kat's actually madder at herself, and Gohan's been really concerned." He nodded again.

Then they heard the front door open, along Kat yelling, "I keep telling you, it's not my fault!" Brianna was curious as to what she was talking about, and Trunks sighed. "No, it's _not_! If that woman hadn't rounded the corner all of a sudden, we wouldn't even be _having_ this conversation!" There was the faint mumble of Brianna's father before the angry half-breed spoke up again. "Stop blowing it out of proportion, damn it! You're making it sound like I got caught in a bear trap or something!"

"You'd think she and Dad are related with the way she gets angry all the time," Trunks mumbled before going for another sip. "But that's none of my business."

Brianna giggled lightly. "Do you want me to get Kat and Gohan?" she inquired.

As eagerly as possible, Trunks nodded, and with a smile Brianna left again to grab the teens. She entered right in the middle of the ongoing argument, noting the obvious large scrape on Kat's left knee. It really wasn't all that bad, but Brianna knew her dad was a stickler for treating injuries.

Besides, he was probably paranoid about minor scrapes because of the small boy upstairs.

"Um, excuse me," Brianna piped up over the shouting, grabbing their attention. She smiled. "Trunks is awake."

There was silence, and before Kat or Gohan could move, 17 took hold of their collars. He gave them stern looks. " _Calmly_ , you two," he instructed. "He'll probably have a headache, and loud noises are _not_ going to help."

"I wasn't going to run," Kat immediately defended.

"Of course not," 17 agreed with only the slightest hints of sarcasm. He let go of their shirts. "Now go on; I'm sure Trunks is wanting to see you two just as much." They nodded, and then quickly (but quietly), they made their way upstairs. The family watched them go, and Brianna smiled bigger. "By the way..."

Every hair on the back of her neck stood up straight.

"Where's your mother, Brianna?"

She gulped thickly and then looked at the floor as she fiddled her fingers. "U-um... Th-there was...a herd of deer..."

Dead silence. Absolute, dead _silence_.

For what felt like hours, the silence lingered on. Then 17 breathed _very_ deeply through his nose. "I give up," he declared. "I just give up."

"Bri... I don't know if that worries me or scares me," Jake whispered.

His sister could only nod slowly.

...

Trunks watched his right hand's fingers slide nervously back and forth along the glass. He knew that he shouldn't have been nervous, but he couldn't help it. The girl had seemed pretty confident that Kat and Gohan weren't mad, and yet he found himself thinking that maybe they were. That maybe they would believe he jumped off Nimbus and explored. Or that maybe he fell asleep and tumbled off the cloud. Or maybe that he-

"Trunks."

He was so lost in thought that when Kat softly called out his name, he jumped, and his head turned quickly to find her and Gohan standing in the doorway. When his light blue eyes met Kat's dark ones, the girl smiled.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Kat told him gently.

The small boy scrunched up his face to keep his tough façade, but it took only about a second for him to break down and cry. Kat walked over to his bedside and climbed on, hugging him close as he cried.

"Th-there was a p-pterodactyl, a-and it was going t-to eat me, and Ni-Nimbus flew, and i-it caught up with us, and I'm s-sorry, I w-won't-"

"Trunks, it's okay," Kat shushed softly. "Nothing's your fault, alright? You're safe..." She hugged him tighter, making sure his left arm wasn't in the embrace. "That's all that matters."

Trunks nodded and snuggled close to her. "I-it was scary..." he whimpered.

"Do you want to go home?" Kat asked.

Immediately he looked at her with wide eyes. He could tell she was serious, with her mouth in a straight line and her eyes filled with concern. But her expression changed to surprise when he shook his head.

"I want to help you meet your parents," he insisted. "Besides, even though it was scary, I can't let it stop me. Dad wouldn't let it stop him, and I'm strong like him."

She smiled. "Yeah," she stated. "But even though you are, you need rest."

"We're not leaving now?" Trunks questioned. "We can. I promise I'll be fine."

"Absolutely not, Vegeta Jr.," Kat joked. The small boy frowned and huffed, unamused, and she giggled as she softly ruffled his hair. "We're staying here until 17 gives us the okay to leave. He's an expert when it comes to first-aid, so he'll know when you're ready to travel again."

" _Fine_ ," he grumbled. "But it's going to get so _boring_ sitting here doing nothing."

"I'll get your books, Trunks," the black haired girl told him. "You can also do some leg stretches and exercises. And meditation. Remember how we were working on that a bit?"

Trunks thought about it. "Can I help around the house?" he offered.

"Only when 17 says you can walk around again." There was another huff, and Kat sighed. "Trunks, you may be part Saiyan, but you still can only take so much. We'll be back to the fun stuff soon, I promise, but we'll get back to it faster if you recover completely. Understand?"

He huffed a third time, but he replied, "I understand."

Kat nodded. "Are you hungry?" she inquired.

Right on cue, Trunks' stomach growled, and he blushed as Kat and Gohan laughed. "Sh-shut up!" he ordered, except he found he couldn't raise his voice all that high. Trunks still tried to sound angry, though. "I haven't eaten for a long time. It's because Gohan didn't tell me what berries were okay to eat."

"I didn't?" Gohan chuckled, like he was playing along. Trunks was annoyed that he was treating him like a little kid; he was a _big_ kid! "Well, when we come back here from our morning runs, I'll teach you. How's that, Trunks?"

"You better teach me right," Trunks demanded, making the other two Demis laugh again.

"Alright, Trunks, I'm going to make you some chicken broth," Kat told him. "It'll take a bit. Is that okay?"

"Sure, but why will it take a bit?" Trunks wondered. "It's chicken broth. Can't you just buy it at the store?"

"Do you really think I'd give you chicken broth from a box?" Trunks' eyes lit up.

Kat was going to make chicken broth from scratch!

"The noodles, too?" the little boy pleaded.

She shook her head, to which he pouted. "Your stomach won't be able to handle it yet," she explained. Then she smiled. "But I'll make sure there are some noodles and chicken set aside for you."

"Sure, I guess," Trunks mumbled. He sighed. "Being weak sucks."

"Which is why you're going to rest so you can get stronger, right?"

Trunks glared, hating that she was right. "I don't like you," he huffed.

Kat just grinned.

...

For the next few days, the group fell into a routine. 17 would take Jake, Gohan, and Kat through the reservation early in the morning, a little after lunch, and before sunset. In between each break, Gohan would teach Trunks about the wildlife in the area, Jake would listen to him read, and Kat would teach the boy leg exercises.

Brianna would care for Trunks, serving him light foods and liquids throughout the day. Toshie also stayed home for the most part, which was a huge improvement over usual, though half of the reason was because of the hour-long argument the couple had. The other half was because of Trunks and Logan, and the _only_ reason she ever left was if the park _demanded_ she do something for them.

17 always had to follow up on that, and the kids held back laughter while Toshie blushed furiously each and every time.

Like the cyborg predicted, Trunks was recovering quickly. He wasn't tired as much, he could walk around for periods of time, and his cuts and bruises were fading. But his arm wasn't totally healed, so when he helped around the house, Trunks wasn't allowed to do anything that would involve his left arm.

Which, according to Brianna, was a lot of things.

Toshie told the boy to ignore about 75% of her worries, though.

About a week and a half into the routine, while out on their midday patrol, Kat spotted a black van parked in the middle of the trees. Curious, she walked over while the three males were inspecting other parts of the clearing. It was definitely suspicious, so she stayed alert as she investigated the van.

Suddenly, the walkie-talkie Mai gave her that was clipped onto the waistband of her pants beeped, and Kat realized the Pilaf gang hadn't contacted since the first day she and Gohan entered the reservation. Wondering what it was about, Kat decided to answer.

"This is Kat," she said.

"Sorry we haven't said anything in a while," Mai replied. "We haven't been able to find that boy."

"Luckily we already found him," Kat reported. "Your cameras were right; he had entered the forest three days before." Then she grumbled. "But you also conveniently forgot to mention this was a national park."

Mai gulped thickly. "I... Uh... S-sorry," she apologized.

"Whatever," Kat sighed. "Well, if that's all-"

"It's not," Mai interrupted. The half-breed raised an eyebrow. "See, about an hour ago, four vans entered the reservation, one at each entrance."

This was starting to get _really_ suspicious. "Are they black?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I'm standing in front of one right now."

The woman hummed. "There's no one inside, is there?" she questioned.

Kat peaked through the window and responded, "Not from the looks of it."

"Do you think you can get inside? I don't actually know what they're doing at the reservation," Mai requested.

"Are they working for you?" Kat grumbled as she placed her palm on the window.

"Th-that's what I want make sure Emperor Pilaf _didn't_ do," Mai answered shakily.

"You know, I've been wondering why _you_ aren't in charge."

Kat used her ki to shatter the window, and then she hopped inside, avoiding the glass. She searched around the seats and found nothing of note, though she did notice the heavy smoke smell that stuck to the leather. Ignoring the disgusting scent, she checked the glove compartment, and inside there was an envelope that caught her eye.

Mainly for the _Royal Nature Park_ stamp in the top left corner.

Now things were getting **_really_** suspicious. Kat lifted the opened flap hurriedly, and she pulled out the letter inside. "It's a notice for a fine," Kat told Mai. "To some people by the name of Cliff and Flint Redwood." Saying the names out loud made her realize something. "Hey, wait a minute..."

"What?" Mai inquired.

Kat didn't answer her and instead hopped out of the van, meeting up with the other three, Gohan having heard the glass shattering. "Who the hell parked in the middle of the woods?" 17 fumed.

"Whoever they are, they know those two boys we caught last week," Kat stated, showing him the letter.

17 took it and realized that it was the exact same fine notice he had issued. "But, why would they park here?" Jake wondered.

"This isn't the only van," Kat revealed. "There are three others."

"Hey Kat, you aren't going to like who they're owned by," Mai said grimly.

The park ranger raised an eyebrow at the walkie-talkie. "Who's that?" he asked.

"...Acquaintance," Gohan answered after trying to find the right word. "She helped us figure out where Trunks had gone."

Kat nodded in agreement, and then told the woman to explain what she had found. "The vans are owned by Arnie Redwood," Mai reported. "Notorious mob boss of East City. Would have wound up in his gang by accident as a teen if I hadn't seen the wanted ad for my current job."

_Pilaf put out a **wanted ad** for henchmen? _Kat thought in dry disbelief.

"Mr. Redwood doesn't like it when any of his members are fined, especially himself and his sons," the woman continued. "So whoever sent that notice... Well, I assume that's the house they're almost at."

Everything erupted into chaos pretty quick.

"Trunks!" Kat and Gohan cried before they took off.

" _Brianna_!" Jake shouted as he began to run.

" ** _Toshie! Logan!_** " 17 yelled, and he too shot into the sky, grabbing Jake by the collar on his way.

"...Probably should have something soon then," Mai mused.

...

Trunks couldn't explain it, but he had a really bad feeling, though he wasn't sure about what. "Som'thin' wrong, Trunks?" Toshie asked. The boy looked at the woman, who was sitting at her desk, in confusion. "Ya suddenly went stiff as a board. Arm achin' again?"

"No," Trunks replied. "Arm's fine, really. I just... I have a bad feeling."

Toshie sighed and went back to her paperwork. "Bri's infected ya, too, it seems," she mumbled. "Don't worry 'bout every littl' feelin' ya get, Trunks. It'll stress ya out more if ya do."

"But Toshie, something _really_ doesn't feel right," Trunks insisted.

"Like what?" the woman inquired.

"I, um... I don't know."

There was another sigh before she stood up. "Alright, I'm a talk to Bri," she decided. "Girl's been puttin' too many negative thoughts in ya head." Before she could move, though, Brianna quickly came down the stairs with wide eyes.

"M-Mom," she stuttered. "I-I don't know what it's about, but there are these guys comin', and they l-look...really scary. They're all wearing b-black suits, an-and I think..." She gulped. "I-I think some o' them had...g-guns."

Her mother stared back with wide eyes of her own, and then at Trunks. "Kid, looks like you got a sharp intuition," she stated. "Alright, you two, go upstairs. I'll handle this. If y'all hear anythin' bad, _do **not** _ come down, ya hear? Sneak out Jake's window and get as far away from here as ya can, understand?"

Brianna nodded tentatively before taking Trunks' right hand and guiding him to the second floor. "Why would we take Jake's window?" Trunks questioned as they went to fetch Logan, who was napping in his room.

"There a big tree within arm's reach," Brianna explained. "We call it our escape tree. It's really easy to climb down."

Trunks hummed and watched as the girl gently took her brother out of the crib. "What do you think those guys want?" he wondered.

"Who knows, but they're scary," she noted.

"Bet Kat an' Gohan could take 'em, no problem," Trunks boasted. "And Dad could, too. None of them are scared of bad guys."

"Do you really think they're bad guys?" Brianna inquired, her voice trembling a tad.

"They gotta be! Cause, they're wearing black suits, like the bad guys do in movies!"

"You never know, they could be Men in Black."

"But... They are, aren't they?"

The two kids stared at each other for a bit. "I keep forgetting you're only four," Brianna finally said. "Now come on, let's-"

Suddenly, there was a loud **_BANG_**. Brianna did everything in her power to not cry in fear, since her brother was doing a fantastic job of doing that already. Trunks, meanwhile, became extremely curious and went to his room so he could look out the window.

"Trunks!" Brianna squeaked. "What are you doing? We have to go!"

"Well, won't they be around the house?" Trunks guessed. "Maybe it would be better if we stay here. I wanna watch, anyways."

Brianna bit her lip as she lightly bounced Logan to try and calm him down. After a few seconds, she sighed. "Alright, we'll stay," she reluctantly agreed. "But help me block the door."

Trunks nodded, and the two moved the dresser in front of the door before moving towards the window and opening it just a tad, allowing them to hear someone with a deep gravelly voice yell, "I told ya we ain't leaving till my boys get an apalogy and deir money, see!"

"An' I said that won't be happenin', Mister Stuffy!" Toshie snapped, though she sounded like she was in pain. "Why don't cha go back to that fancy littl' mansion ya have an' ask someone to explain it to ya nice and simple?"

"Don't make me pop another bullet in ya, doll," the man threatened. "Not unless ya want one of ya lovely coworkers to find ya body dead and washed up on da river bed."

Toshie snorted. "It's bad enough I have a bullet in my shoulder, but ya shoot me again, an' ya might as well dig yer own grave," she retorted. "My husband won' be please when he finds yer gang o' Halloween leftovers tryin' to demand he take back fines that have good reason."

"Good reason?" All of the men laughed. "I ain't see no good reason, doll. Not unless you're telling me da trees are a good reason."

"You dummy! Course they're important!" Trunks yelled boldly as he threw the window wide open.

"Trunks, are you crazy?!" Brianna hissed.

All of the men looked up, and Trunks was finally able to get a look at the leader: a tall buff bald man with tiny yellow eyes. The little boy figured he was strong, but his dad and Kat could beat him up no problem.

Oh, and Gohan.

Gohan was strong, too.

"And whadya what, kid?" the leader sneered.

"For you to go away, you big bully!" Trunks shouted back. "Toshie's a nice lady, and she did nothing wrong! And you're stupid for thinking the park isn't important!"

"Stupid?!" the man repeated, offended. He raised his gun. "We'll see who's stupid when dere's a bullet in ya skull!"

Trunks didn't back down, even as the man went for the trigger. Brianna tugged on his shirt to try and make him stop, but the half Saiyan refused. And had it been any other situation, Trunks would have been found with a hole between the eyes.

Thank goodness 17 was a cyborg that could fly and catch bullets without even flinching.

"Brianna, Trunks!" Jake called out, hopping through the window when 17 let him go. "Are you and Logan okay?"

"I... I-I'll get back to you on that," his sister answered shakily.

"All of you, sit down, shut up, and _close the damn window_ ," 17 ordered with a growl, specifically eyeing Trunks. Not wanting to make him any angrier, his adopted kids slammed the window shut.

"Aw, but it was starting to get fun," Trunks mumbled.

"You are by far the most active and interesting four-year-old with a broken arm I have ever met," Jake commented with a sigh.

Back outside, 17 dropped down in between his wife and the leader, an evil look in his icy blue eyes. The men behind their leader flinched - especially at the fact that 17 crushed the bullet in his hand and had just _flown down_ \- but the bald man did nothing.

"Whadya want, Freak?" he sneered.

"You, Mr. Arnie Redwood, are not only trespassing on private property and parked illegally in four different locations in a reservation, but you have also assaulted a national park employee, who by the way happens to be the wife of a ranger, aka _me_ ," he spat. "And trust me when I say all of that is going to add up to _way_ more than some stupid fine."

"Now see here, Hippie, all I want is my boys to get an apalogy an' deir money back," Arnie shot back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I forgot that the law bends to your will," 17 retorted sarcastically. Then he dropped into a fighting stance. "Too bad my fists don't."

"Ya think you can take me on, Twiggy?" Arnie laughed.

"Considering a twelve-year-old girl is single handedly taking care of all your men behind my house, I don't have any doubts about my abilities."

The group made a noise of confusion before a goon flew over the house and crashed onto the ground, barely conscious. "Sorry, Boss..." he wheezed. "Dat girl... I couldn't..." Then he fainted.

"ANY OF YOU OTHER CREEPS WANNA INSULT ME?!" Kat bellowed. There was a rallying cry before men began to groan in pain.

Now Arnie flinched, but he held his ground. "Dat don't scare me," he insisted.

Instantly, 17 was right in front of him, glaring right into his eyes as the cyborg put his hand on the other man's gun.

"Shall I try something that will?" he asked hauntingly.

And with that, the gun was crushed.

All of the men were terrified, looking at the destroyed weapon. Even their boss showed signs of nervousness, but then he regained his nerve and barked, "Get him, _now_!"

"Y-yes sir!" They all held up their own guns, but in the blink of an eye, they were all gone. The men looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where they had gone.

"Whoops, sorry," Gohan chuckled innocently, and everyone looked at him, with the men gaping in bewilderment at the pile of black Colt 1908s right next to him. "But I figured I should take them away. Guns are dangerous, especially when you're pointing them at someone."

"Why you punk-"

But Arnie didn't get to say much else since 17 gave him a nasty left hook, knocking him out.

"Good, I was sick of hearing his mouth run," the ranger grumbled. "As for the rest of you, you're all under arrest."

"Wait, please!" two voices cried out, and the men parted to reveal the boys from the week before.

"Look, we'll leave, we promise!" the long haired boy stated.

"W-we didn't want this, we swear!" his brother added. "Dad's the one who wanted to try and get back the money!"

17 spat on the ground. "I don't care who wanted what or why, it doesn't change the fact that this happened," he pointed out. Then he pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Now, shall I list your rights while we wait for the police to show up?"

No one dared to speak while 17 explained the situation to his boss, but one of the men stealthily went for a knife in his back pocket. But before he could grab it, Kat dropped a pile of unconscious gang members on top of him and some of his colleagues.

"That should be all of them," she announced from the air. "I checked the house, too, and one guy thought he could get past me. Heh, showed him what's what."

"I probably could have done it faster," Gohan boasted causally.

"Ha ha," his friend laughed dryly. The half human just grinned.

The entire time, they ignored the mob's wide eyes and gaping mouths.

…

A few days later, the three travelers were finally given the clear to continue on their way. Trunks whooped and hollered in relief at being able to explore the world again, and even Kat and Gohan became a bit antsy while they packed up. To help speed up the process, Jake and Brianna lent their support, with the blonde haired girl sadden by her new friends leaving so soon.

As the five kids headed downstairs with their things, the older half-Saiyans noticed 17 still filing paperwork for the mob incident, with Toshie looking over his shoulder.

"Sorry for causing a whole bunch of commotion," Kat apologized to 17.

"Ya kiddin'?" Toshie snorted. "We go through that crap least twice a year."

Her adopted kids stared at her with wide eyes, apparently having never heard of this information before. "Mom... Please tell me you're telling a cruel joke," Jake mumbled.

"Yes, she is," 17 answered. "It's only happened one other time. Most complaints are filed more...civilly."

"I hope so," Brianna sighed.

"Life's no fun if there isn't excitement!" Trunks quipped, earning him a glare from the park ranger.

"Speaking of excitement, are you sure we're okay to go?" Gohan asked.

17 nodded. "Just make sure you don't overuse your arm for the next few days, Trunks," he reminded. "It still needs to rest."

Trunks groaned a little, and Kat whacked the back of his head. "Be lucky we're allowed to leave in the first place," she scolded. "Bulma just about had a heart attack when we told her we were leaving with your arm still sore."

"Yeah, I remember, I was there to have my ear destroyed," Trunks grumbled.

"Woman has lungs, that's for sure," 17 stated. Then he smiled. "Well, good luck with your hunt, guys. And I hope for good news with your parents, Kat."

"Thank you, 17," Kat replied.

"Um..." The travelers looked at Brianna, who seemed a little sheepish. "Will... Will we...see you guys again? We... We don' see enough of Aunt 18 and Uncle Krillin, so I... I was afraid..."

Kat and Gohan smiled at her. "Of course, we'll see you again," Gohan promised. "We can even take you to West City so you can meet Yuki and Mitsumi."

"We'll have tons of fun," Kat added. "Trust me, you might even get tired of anime with how much Mitsumi and I talk about it." Brianna gave off a tiny smile.

"And maybe you and I can use an actual basketball court, Gohan," Jake mused.

"So I can school you some more?" the half-human teased.

"I still don't know how you got so good when you didn't even know what a basketball was," the blond-haired boy grumbled, salty over his utter humiliation the other day. Gohan laughed.

"Alright, kiddos, quit yer lolly gaggin'," Toshie informed. "Go on, get! Or I just might snatch Kat back an' have her keep makin' dinner. Ya gonna make a man mighty happy one day."

"Don't say things like that, Toshie," Kat laughed while Gohan coughed a tad and slightly covered his face, a maneuver only caught by 17. "I'm only twelve, not to mention I wouldn't be too ecstatic about being just a housewife."

"Then make sure he don' forget it!" the woman shouted, and her husband rolled his eyes.

"Okay, seriously, get out before she begins putting ideas in your head," 17 said dryly.

The travelers said their goodbyes as they opened the front door, laughing as Toshie began to curse him out. "NIMBUS!" Gohan called out. With one last wave, they hopped onto the yellow cloud and took off to the skies.

"HAVE FUN, GUYS!" Jake yelled from down below.

"AND BE CAREFUL!" his sister shouted.

They grinned and waved again. "So, snowberries are bad," Trunks suddenly piped up. The teens looked at him thinking very hard. "And they look like white chocolate covered raisins."

"That's right," Gohan praised.

"But boysenberries are okay," the small boy continued. "They kind of look like raspberries, but more purplely."

"Yep," Kat confirmed.

"Ivy is bad to touch, because you get all itchy, and they look like... Um... No, Gohan, I've got it! Don't tell me!"

His older companions smiled to each other, listening intently as Trunks listed all of the plants that were edible and not. After letting him ramble for a bit, Kat suddenly hugged him, forcing him to stop.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered, on the verge of tears. "I'm so, so glad."

"H-hey, Kat, come on, this is em-" But she squeezed tighter, and Trunks ceased his protests to be hugged. "Please don't cry, Kat," he said. "I'm okay, you said so. There's no reason to cry if I'm okay." Kat let out a short, soft chuckle but didn't let go. "Seriously, let...

Kat, if you don't stop... I-I can't c-cry... D-Dad d-doesn't..."

"Vegeta isn't here, Trunks," Kat assured, tears slowly trickling down her face. "I promise, he'll never know."

With that, Trunks began to cry and hugged Kat back, which made Kat's tears run a bit faster. Gohan smiled softly at the two as Nimbus continued to fly, none of them knowing what adventure awaited them next.


	28. Friendly Visit...?

"Hmm..." Gohan looked at the Dragon Radar. "Seems like it's just a little further north of here," he informed.

"Who knew the fourth Dragon Ball would have been so close to your house, Gohan," Kat stated. "Maybe we should have met up there."

"Met up where?" Trunks mumbled sleepily, his head resting on Kat's lap.

Kat smiled at him. "Don't worry, buddy," she told him. "Just go back to sleep; we'll be at the next Dragon Ball soon."

"Really?!" the small boy cried, springing up and began bouncing up and down in excitement. "How close are we?!"

The older kids laughed. "I'd say about 10 minutes from here," Gohan said.

"Awesome!" Trunks shouted. "Then we'll have four of them!" He stopped bouncing abruptly and frowned. "I missed getting the third one, though."

"Eh, it wasn't that exciting," Kat brushed off with a shrug.

Gohan rolled his eyes, remembering how scared the Pilaf Gang had been. "Anyway, let's-" Suddenly, he noticed something in the distance. "Hey, is that..." His companions looked at him curiously. Then Gohan grinned. "Yeah, that's Chazke Village!"

"Chazke Village?" Kat repeated. "Have you gone there before?"

"Only once," Gohan replied. "But I liked it, and I met some really nice people while I was there."

"That's pretty cool, Gohan," Kat said. "Well, we need to stock up on supplies, since it  _has_  been more than a week since we were at 17's house, so maybe we can try and find them so you can say hi."

"I'd like that," her friend admitted.

With a game plan, Nimbus flew towards the village and let the riders off at the entrance of the village. Trunks waved goodbye to the cloud as it took off and then ran after the two older Saiyans, who had already passed through the gate. All three of the kids marveled at how many people were bustling about despite the small size of the place.

"When I was here, it was the days before the Cell Games," Gohan explained when Trunks brought up that he shouldn't be surprised. "Everyone was gone, save for a couple of people, and luckily they were the people who ran the shop."

"But now that I'm here, they're going to be the only people who  _aren't_ ," Kat joked dryly.

"Oh, shut up," Gohan chuckled, slightly shoving her. Kat giggled.

Suddenly, Trunks gagged, and the two looked at him in shock, thinking something was wrong. But the small boy was only making a face. "Seriously, stop that," he requested. "It's really gross."

Realizing what he meant, the two blushed, with Kat scowling for added measure. "You don't have the arm excuse anymore, brat, so I'd watch your mouth if I were you," she warned.

Gohan led them to the small general store, and while Trunks was enamored by the village around him and the oldest Saiyan was focused on their destination, Kat noticed that the three of them were turning heads. At first, she figured it was because they were new faces in the village, and people would want to see who they were. But when she realized that their eyes would linger for an extremely long time, she started to second guess that theory.

_But if it's not about being new faces, what is it?_ she questioned.

They finally made it to the store, and Gohan opened the swinging doors. Kat looked around, and then she looked at Trunks. "Alright, we're not going to find everything here that we would find at a large supermarket," she stated. "So, if there's something specific you want, don't give me attitude if we can't find it, understand?"

"Yes, Kat," Trunks replied before he took off, most likely looking for candy.

"No way, it can't..."

The two teens turned to find a girl with wide forest green eyes and chestnut-brown hair, her bangs tied in braided pigtails while the rest of her hair fell to her shoulders. She was wearing red-and-white sneakers, pale red capris, a yellow t-shirt, and an impossibly wide grin.

"It is! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!" she cried as she ran up and hugged Gohan. "It's so great to see you!"

He laughed and hugged her back. "It's great to see you too, Lime," he said.

Lime giggled before she let go. "What brings you back to the village?" she asked. "You haven't been here since the Cell Games."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Gohan apologized with a small, slightly nervous chuckle. "My friends and I were in the area, and we realized we need supplies. Then I noticed we were close to Chazke Village, so we decided to come here, especially since I haven't seen you and your grandpa when I promised I would."

"Aw, you're so sweet," Lime cooed, and Gohan blushed. "So, who are your friends?"

"This is Kat," Gohan introduced, the girl waving as he said it. "And the one currently searching your candy jars is Trunks."

"Somehow I figured he was with you, considering he keeps looking back here like he's trying to be sneaky," Lime giggled.

"He's sharper than any four-year-old you'll ever meet, but he's still four," Kat chuckled. The three snickered. "So Lime, do you think you can help us find what we need?"

The two girls studied the list, and then Lime began to show them around the store. It didn't take them long to find everything the store had to offer (and it surprisingly turned out to be a little less than two-thirds of the list), which was made up by the time Kat argued with Trunks over how much candy he could take.

" _Two_ pieces _,_ Trunks," Kat hissed.

"But Kaaaaaat-"

" _TWO. PIECES. If_ I have to say it one more time, don't expect me to be nice tomorrow morning." The small boy pouted, and Gohan chuckled nervously before getting out his wallet to pay for all of their supplies.

"Oo, that's right, I wanted you to meet someone," Lime piped up, stopping him mid-grab. She pointed to the dark red haired man behind the counter. "This is my dad, Myles."

"Your dad?" Gohan repeated happily.

Lime nodded her head with an ecstatic grin. "Even though he and Mom were gone because of Cell, one day they just came back," she informed.

"That's awesome, Lime," Kat stated while Gohan smiled knowingly.

"Sure is," Myles agreed as he scanned some items. "I like living, especially if it's with my little girl."

" _Dad_!" Lime whined, but she continued to grin. Kat and Gohan laughed, though there were hints of somberness. "Hey, once you guys are done here, do you want to come to our house for lunch?"

Kat and Gohan looked at each other, and after a few seconds they smiled. "Sure, Lime, we'd love that," Gohan replied. "If your dad is okay with it, anyway."

"Of course it's okay," the man stated. "I love meeting Lime's friends."

"Cool, just let us-  _TRUNKS!_ " The small boy's hand froze from its place over the counter and cautiously eyed Kat. "For the  _last_ _ **time**_ _,_ only two pieces!" she ordered.

"But-"

"Trunks, pick two or you get  _none_!"

He grumbled and looked to Gohan, hoping to try and get him to help persuade the female Saiyan. "Come on, don't you think she's being unfair, Gohan?" he asked.

Gohan would have responded, but then something strange happened.

"Wait, your name is Gohan?" Myles inquired, his hazel eyes glowing.

"Gohan?" someone else in the store asked, sounding excited.

Soon the whole store was repeating his name, and somehow some people outside heard it, too. The three Saiyans began to hear multiple voices getting louder and louder, and Lime suddenly grabbed ahold of Gohan's wrist.

"We gotta run," she said seriously before yanking Gohan towards the back of the store. "Put it on their tab, Dad, they can pay later!"

Not exactly sure what was going on, Kat and Trunks quickly followed them. "So, why are we running again?" Kat questioned.

"I'll explain once we get away from the village," Lime replied.

"Are we going to your house?" Gohan asked.

"That's the first place people will look," she answered. "But I know a place they won't go."

They decided to trust her, and for a while the four ran through the woods. Lime weaved a way through the tall pine trees and up a steady climb. Eventually they came across a river next to a huge forest filled with apple trees. Trunks immediately forgot the strange urgency in favor of climbing one of the trees to obtain some of the fruit.

"Why won't people come here?" Kat questioned. "I'd rather be here than cooped up in a house."

Lime took a minute to catch her breath - glaring at the three Saiyans for being completely fine - before she stated, "No one knows about these apple trees. People would rather take the beaten path than run blindly through the forest."

"Guess that makes sense," Gohan agreed. "But... Why did we run in the first place?"

"You're popular, Gohan," Lime said.

The three travelers looked at each other questioningly before looking back at Lime. "Why would I be?" Gohan asked. "I've only been to the village once."

"But that doesn't mean you weren't on TV," the chestnut-brown haired girl countered.

"During that tournament where Bojack appeared? He didn't do anything special," Trunks muttered, shrugging his shoulders and nonchalantly eating one of the apples he grabbed. "The cameras broke before he started beating him up... Guys?" The small boy tilted his head in confusion at the older halflings' wide-eyed expression. "Guys? Uh,  _hello_? What's wrong?"

They were silent for many, many seconds until Gohan finally stuttered, "Y-you mean...t-the Cell Games?" Lime nodded.

"You're not joking here... Right?" Kat clarified.

"Anyone with half a brain could tell Gohan killed Cell," Lime huffed. "Seriously, it's amazing how gullible the world has become. None of us fell for Mr. Satan's lies, I can tell you that. I mean, all you have to do is look at the shelter  _you_ destroyed and it's pretty clear you're some kind of amazing."

Their mouths gaping, Kat and Gohan couldn't believe they had found a whole  _village_  that didn't buy into the last three years of tall tales and hype. "But if you guys know, how come the whole world doesn't?" Trunks questioned, the only one who wasn't that amazed at the revelation.

"Gohan could have easily proved he was the one who beat Cell, but he never did," Lime explained. "And after we saw all of the ridiculous attention Mr. Satan was - sorry,  _is_ \- getting, we figured he didn't want it. So we kept it to ourselves."

"Uh... Thank you," Gohan finally got out.

"Well... Congratulations, Gohan, you have a fan base," Kat said, slapping his shoulder. He jumped at the sudden action. "Just don't let it go to your head. And I mean it. I  _really_ despise the trope of the overly nice guy suddenly getting an inflated ego."

Gohan glared at her, snapping out of his funk, but then he smirked. "Like there's an ego that could rival yours or Vegeta's," he teased. Kat slapped him again, this time upside the head, but he just laughed it off.

"Anyway, that's why the whole village was beginning to buzz about you," Lime piped up. "I'm sure we can convince them to treat you normally, but don't be surprised if they come to you singing your praises."

"So, does that mean there really isn't a place for us to stay?" Kat inquired.

Lime shook her head and grinned. "You can stay at my house," she offered. "My parents are thankful, but not that crazy. And you've already met Grandpa; he knew you could beat Cell from the start, so he wasn't surprised."

"That's good," Gohan sighed. "But, is there enough room?"

"It may be just a bit tight, but I think it can work," the girl stated. Gohan smiled.

She led them through the woods to her house (after Trunks gathered a few more apples, forcefully giving some of them to the older kids), and along the way Lime decided to explain how the villagers had been doing for the past three years. It was nothing interesting, she reported (and it really wasn't), but Kat and Gohan found it intriguing that all of the citizens had come closer together because of Cell rather than more selfish like the rest of the world.

"Here we are!" Lime announced as they approached the log cabin.

"It doesn't look that much different," Gohan noted.

"Why fix what ain't broke?" the human giggled. Her visitors couldn't argue with that. Then she led them to the front door and opened it up. "Grandpa, I'm home!"

"Ah, Lime, back from bothering your father, are you?" an old man chuckled from the kitchen. Lime laughed nervously while Trunks snickered. Kat glared at him and Gohan sighed. "Hm? Do you have visitors?"

"Yeah, and you won't believe who it is!" Lime exclaimed. Earth's hero blushed.

Her grandfather made a noise of interest. "Let me put these plates away and I'll be right out," he said. There was the sound of ceramic gently clanging against one another, and then a cabinet door closing. Kat set her backpack down as the old man walked into the room, and besides the fact that his dark blue eyes lit up, she also noted he looked familiar for whatever strange reason. "Gohan! What a pleasure it is to see you again."

"You as well, Mr. Lao," Gohan replied politely.

Suddenly, Kat realized why she recognized him, and she gasped. "Shea Lao?" she clarified, excited.

" _NO_! No, no, no, you're not!" Trunks shouted. "If this is going where I think it's going, you're not him!"

"Do you even know who Shea Lao is?" Kat asked.

"No, but if it's about the World Martial Arts Tournament, then you're going to go crazy," Trunks snapped.

Mr. Lao laughed gently. "I don't mind," he assured. "But how would you know about the 18th Tournament, young lady?"

"I've studied every World Martial Arts Tournament up until the 24th," Kat explained, ecstatic that she was right and that there was truly, seriously a tournament fighter (that wasn't one of the Z Warriors) right in front of her. "The 21st through the 23rd are my absolute favorite, but the 18th is close behind. I was rooting for you because you were  _really_ good, so I was really mad at Falkoman when he clearly cheated in the semifinals." She shrugged. "But Colby Weiser ended up kicking his butt to next week, so I guess I can't complain too much."

Once again, the old man laughed. "You're quite knowledgeable," he observed. "And opinionated. Though I suppose that's not necessarily a bad thing. However, I'm not upset. There's no point in being hung up on the past." He walked over to Lime and put a hand on her shoulder. "We should look to the future and what it can hold." Lime grinned, and the three travelers nodded.

When Lime remembered she had invited her friends to lunch, she told everyone to sit at the table and went to make some. Kat tried to offer her help, but she was absolutely forbidden to do so by Mr. Lao, and she frowned. While Trunks tried to cheer her up, Gohan explained the truth about what happened at the Cell Games (or, at least, most of it; just from Gohan's face, Mr. Lao told him not to say anything he didn't want to, much to Lime's disappointment). It then spiraled into a conversation about what Kat and Gohan actually were and why they were traveling around the world.

"Wow, I can't believe you guys are actually half alien," Lime brought up when Gohan was done. Kat cleared her throat loudly. "And full. You guys all look human."

"I bet there are some aliens out there who don't," Kat pointed out. Then she thought about it. "Hmm... Vegeta might know."

"Dad doesn't talk about space, though," Trunks stated as he took a sip of his juice. The black haired girl sighed silently, realizing he was right.

"Kat, will you come back and tell us about your parents and your other race when you learn about them?" Mr. Lao requested.

She smiled. "Sure!" she agreed. "If only to give Gohan more of an incentive to visit more often. I am  _appalled_ he dared to break a promise."

"Very funny, Mom," Gohan joked dryly. Everyone laughed.

Soon, Lime finished making lunch. Trunks made it clear he liked Kat's cooking infinitely more (to which Kat scolded him for being rude), but lunch was given the thumbs-up. The table was soon filled with conversation and laughter from the stories everyone told about their lives and adventures, and it was only interrupted when the door opened again.

Myles and a woman with light brown hair entered the house, their eyes wide as Myles closed the door. The five around the table stared at them before Lime smiled. "Would you guys like lunch?" she offered. "I made it myself!"

"Oh no..." the woman gasped before she rushed to the kitchen.

"H-hey!" Lime shouted as she shot up. "Mom, I didn't destroy the kitchen! I promise!"

Her mother popped her head into the living room. "I can see that you're right," she replied. "This time."

"This time?" Kat and Gohan repeated.

"You don't have to say it at the same!" Lime snapped, embarrassed. Trunks snickered.

"So, are you actually Gohan?" Myles asked.

Gohan looked at him and nodded. "That's me, sir," he confirmed. "B-but I don't need your praise, really! I just wanted to beat Cell so everyone could live in peace."

"That  _is_ worthy of praise though, young man," Lime's mother argued, walking over to him. "That you went out into very frightening circumstances not for yourself but for others... Well, I'm sure you can look to the TV to find the example of the selfish side of this situation."

"The point Willow is making, Gohan, is that you're very commendable," Mr. Lao added. He smiled softly. "I bet you make your father proud." Gohan blushed but smiled and nodded.

No one bothered to tell Lime or her family that Son Goku was dead.

Lime's parents joined lunch, with Willow voicing her slightly negative opinion of the food. Trunks tried to claim he had said it first, but Kat glanced at him with a look that reminded her fellow travelers of a certain prince, so the little boy shut his mouth. Lime's parents chuckled before they asked what the kids were doing in Chazke Village. Kat took up the explanation, though she left out the part about her and the boys being aliens. The adults wished them luck, and they all went about their lunch.

Trunks finished and, eager to see exactly where the Dragon Ball was, rushed off to get the Radar. The others ignored him, content with continuing their conversation about how summer was going for the preteens and work was for the adults. Just as Kat was about to bring up her auditions for the dance team, there was the sound of something breaking, and everyone turned to Trunks to find...

Oh boy.

Everyone felt the immediate tension as Kat's wide eyes studied the broken Dragon Radar. Trunks, meanwhile, was staring at the mess he clearly made. He leaned down and clicked the button on top before finally looking at Kat and pointing at the cracked radar.

"It broke," he reported.

The back of Kat's chair splintered a bit from her holding it too tight, and Gohan gulped, fearing the wrath she would inflict on the four-year-old. "Clearly," Kat growled, her voice tight. "And how  _exactly_ did it break, Trunks?"

"I dropped it," Trunks explained nonchalantly. "Now the screen doesn't work. But the fourth Ball is about 5 miles north of here."

"That's not the point, Trunks!" Kat yelled, jumping out of her chair. "You just broke the Dragon Radar!"

"So? Mom can fix it, easy," Trunks countered.

"Because that just makes everything a-okay," the girl snapped. "You're not even going to apologize? Not going to acknowledge how long it might take for her to fix the Radar? Or how long it's going to take for it to reach her?"

"Everything'll work out, stop being such a worrywart," the boy huffed.

"You inconsiderate-"

"Alright, Kat, settle down," Gohan intervened. "Trunks didn't mean to break it. We'll call Bulma and tell her what happened." Kat snorted. "Trunks, apologize. I know you didn't mean to, but you know how important this is to Kat."

Trunks looked annoyed for a bit before he sighed and looked away guiltily. "Sorry, Kat."

Kat sighed as well, calming herself even more. "I forgive you," she replied, realizing Gohan was right. "And at least you were able to figure out where the Dragon Ball is."

The four-year-old smiled in satisfaction. "Guess you better thank me, huh?"

Unfortunately for him, that only made Kat tack on two extra hours to their morning training.

"So guys, do you want to explore the village?" Lime asked while Trunks sulked in the corner.

"I think I'm prepared for any onslaught," Gohan stated. "Sure, I'll explore with you, Lime."

"We need to pick up our supplies, so I'll go, too," Kat chimed in.

"I'll just stay here," Trunks mumbled from his corner.

"If you expect me to pity you, you're sorely mistaken," Kat snorted. Mr. Lao chuckled, and everyone else laughed nervously.

The three kids left the cabin, making their way down the path into the village. Kat was at first drawn to the scenery, but as they got closer, she noticed Gohan's ki waver nervously. She turned to look at him, noting that he at least  _looked_ calm.

"Gohan, are you  _sure_ you're prepared?" she questioned.

Lime looked at Gohan as well and then raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? He's not nervous," she observed.

"He's actually hiding it surprisingly well for once," Kat stated.

"Ha ha, very funny," Gohan retorted. Then he sighed. "I thought I was, but maybe I'm not."

"You wanna go back, then?" Lime offered, surprised that Kat had been right.

Gohan shook his head. "It's going to happen sooner or later," he replied. "No use holding off the inevitable."

"Well, I hope you have some sort of nerve," Kat said, "because it's show time."

Oh boy.

When they entered the village, all of the hustle and bustle stopped the moment people realized Gohan was there. He gulped as he followed the girls, who expertly ignored the civilians. It was really quiet; no doubt you could hear a pin drop from the other side of the planet. Just as Gohan was about to contemplate if he actually could, a small girl ran up to him and shouted, "HI!" Being the bundle of nerves he was, Gohan jumped back and crashed onto the ground.

"Gohan, are you alright?" Lime cried as she ran to his side.

"Eh, give him a minute," Kat replied, kneeling next to her friend. "He's just being overdramatic."

Gohan glared at her. "You're a terrible friend," he grumbled.

Kat simply grinned, but she held out her hand. The black haired boy smiled and took it, letting her help him up. He almost turned to keep going towards the store, but then he remembered the little girl, so he looked at her and smiled a bit bigger.

"Hello," Gohan finally addressed the girl.

The villager beamed. "You're a funny guy, mister!" she proclaimed.

"Yep, he's definitely adorkable," Kat snickered. Gohan pushed her, which only made her laugh louder.

"Then how did  _he_  beat Cell?" an older boy asked, sounding slightly skeptical.

Hearing the tone, Kat shoved her friend away and leapt for him with a punch. But Gohan recovered quickly, and he was able to block her. He smirked.

"Really?" he questioned. "You want to fight  _here_?"

"The village will be fine," Kat assured, smirking back since she enjoyed the prospect of a spar. "Besides, you know I take any and all opportunities to challenge you."

Knowing he wasn't going to worm his way out of it, Gohan conceded by grabbing her fist and throwing her hard onto the ground. Kat grunted from the impact, but that didn't stop her from rolling out of the way of a kick. She got to her feet and smirked even wider, adrenaline flowing through her veins. Gohan's smirk matched hers quickly, and after staring at each other for a couple of seconds, they shot off into the sky.

The villagers looked up into the sky to try and follow the action, but both Saiyans were moving too fast. They knew it, too, but neither of them slowed down since they were so caught up in the spar. They zipped about, each of them trying to find an opening when they clashed. Of course, when their shins collided with their elbows or their fists slammed into the other, they found no way past their defenses.

And yet...

"Looks like someone's slacking off," Kat taunted in a sing-song tone as they struggled.

"Says the girl who hasn't landed a single hit," Gohan shot back, though he was still smirking. "Come on, has Vegeta taught you anything?"

A glint appeared in Kat's eye, the one that always foretold that she had a plan. Gohan was immediately on edge, and the black haired girl was pleased by the reaction.

"He told me to never let my guard down," she stated, confusing her opponent.

Gohan didn't get it until it hit him in the head.

Literally.

"Mr. Son," Kat continued as Gohan recovered from the sudden blow to the right side of his head, "meet Mr. Hammer. He's gonna teach you some manners."

With one more shake of his head, Gohan looked at what she was talking about, and he was surprised to find a brown hammer with a stick about three-feet and an insanely big head. He was about to ask where it came from when he remembered Kat was an illusionist. Gohan had noticed she had been practicing a lot lately, and he was going to congratulate her on making the most solid one yet, until he realized something else.

"You know, for a girl who goes to school, gets all A's, and trains with Vegeta, you somehow have time for video games. And clearly  _way_ too much," Gohan noted in a deadpan.

"Well, you knew what I said was from a video game, so what does that say about you?" Kat shot back with a smirk.

She was right, he guessed.

For the rest of their spar, Gohan was wary of the disappearing/reappearing hammer that added as a sixth limb for her in a way. She would kick, he would block, and then he had to duck out of the way of a hammer swing. Or she would grab him in her tail, try an upward swing, and follow up with a punch. The illusionary hammer became second nature to her, it seemed, as - even though she had never used it before - Kat wielded it with ease. Up, down, side to side, even throwing it like a boomerang, Gohan figured her power tripled simply by her willing it to be.

But neither of them noticed how much ki it drained.

At one point, Kat caught the other half-breed off guard and slammed him to the ground with the weapon - creating a small crater in the process - and while he groaned and tried to get off his back, she zoomed for him. But as she was flying, her hammer disappeared without her wanting to, and she realized that she wasn't flying. She was  _falling_. Desperate to win and not show her weakness, Kat continued on down the way she had been.

Unfortunately, Gohan noticed.

Reacting quickly, he sprung to his feet, jumped up, grabbed her, and threw her to the same place he had been, making the crater just a bit larger. Then, not giving her a second to use, Gohan shot back down and pinned her to the ground.

Being who she was, Kat struggled, even though she knew there was no winning. "Get off, Gohan!" she ordered.

"Not until you say you give up," Gohan replied, grinning. "That hammer was pretty cool, but it drained all the ki you had. Just admit that you lost."

" _Never_!" Kat declared before struggling even more.

"Please do."

Kat immediately stopped, and the two looked up to find that the village had gathered around them. The kids were amazed, but some of the adults looked...exhausted.

"You might end up destroying the village if you keep that up," a man stated. That got their attention rather quick. "So if this could maybe come to an end..."

The friends stared at each other before scrambling out of the crater to see the damage they had caused. Thankfully, the crater was really the only thing, but the houses did look a bit shaken up. Still, it had the two a bit guilty, so they turned to the village and said, "We'll fix this! We promise!" The adults assured they didn't have to go that far, but they insisted.

"Besides," Kat added with a cheeky grin, "we get to stay here a bit longer. I like exploring, and Gohan should meet his fans, after all."

Immediately, the kids (especially the girls) were on top of Earth's hero, asking him a gazillion questions at once. "Kat, I hate you!" Gohan shouted over the noise.

In return, Kat's grin widened, and she ran off to help the flabbergasted yet slightly amused adults.

...

"You  _sure_ it's around here, Trunks?" Lime asked, apprehensive.

He nodded. "Five miles north," he repeated. The local hummed nervously. "Why? What's wrong?" Lime pointed a minutely shaking hand through the trees, and the three Saiyans looked. "That? It's just looks like a big broken dome."

"Wait, the Protective Dome's still there?" Gohan questioned.

While the other half-breeds were confused, Lime nodded. "We never got the chance to take it down," she explained. "Now there are nothing but ghost stories about it. I didn't believe them, but then I went there myself. It felt like something was watching me."

"Awesome!" Trunks exclaimed before taking off.

"Trunks!" Kat yelled, running after him. The other two kids were quick to follow. "Don't go running off on your own! We don't know what's out here!"

They finally made it to the broken white dome, which had all sorts of vegetation growing around it after the years of neglect. "It looks like something out of a movie!" Trunks cheered.

"A horror movie, specifically," Gohan added, shuddering a little. "I hate horror movies."

"You just hate that Yuki showed us  _Blood for Dracula_  that he stole from his brother's room before we all realized  _exactly_ why it's rated R," Kat pointed out.

"Yeah, and it's not horror and violence," the thirteen-year-old sighed. Then he shook the horrible mental images out of his mind and quickly wondered where the Dragon Ball could possibly be.

"Maybe it's in the dome!" Trunks cooed, stars in his eyes.

"That would be our luck, wouldn't it?" Lime muttered. "Seriously, why can't we just wait? We sent the Radar to Bulma yesterday; it won't be long before it gets back."

Before Kat brought up that they wouldn't know how many days it would take and that she just wanted the Dragon Ball now, Trunks ran into the destroyed building. "Trunks, what did I say?!" Kat shouted as the three followed him.

When the four entered, they marveled at the jungle that had grown inside, blocking most of the sunlight from the two giant holes in the ceiling. "Why is this even here?" Trunks inquired loudly, hoping for an echo.

"Keep your voice down!" Kat hissed, hating how the noise rang in her ears.

"Mr. Borbonne thought something like this would protect us from Cell," Lime stated. "Obviously, it wouldn't, and Gohan proved that." The boy blushed.

The four began to walk around the barely-lit dome, with the two older Saiyans using their ki to light up the areas they searched and Lime with a flashlight since they decided to leave the greenery intact in case animals had made home in it. Trunks was annoyed that he had to be paired with Gohan, but he said nothing once Kat gave him the look. They search every inch of the dome, and when Kat got close to the center, she heard a hiss. Curious, she pointed her ki towards the noise.

It was a miracle she didn't fire.

But she did still let out her loud, girly shriek, much to Gohan and Trunks' immense discomfort.

"What? Saw another snake?" Gohan asked, exasperated as he watched Kat cling tightly to one of the exposed rafters.

"Y-y-y-y-y-you know I hate their beady black eyes!" Kat stuttered.

Gohan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come on, Trunks, let's go defeat Kat's arch nemesis," he told the boy.

"Sounds like fun!" the purple haired boy cried.

"Hate you. Hate you both."

They ignored her and went to where Kat had seen the snake. But when Gohan shined his ki on it, he snatched up Trunks, flew over to Lime and grabbed her as well, and - as Lime yelped at the suddenness - then flew up to where Kat was. "Hey, what's the big idea, Gohan?!" Trunks protested.

"Kat had every right to be scared this time," Gohan revealed. "That was an eastern brown snake."

"Eastern brown snake?" Lime repeated.

"The second most poisonous snake on the planet."

The others looked at him with wide eyes before they heard more hissing. Wanting to know exactly what was on the floor, Kat forego the original plan and shot at the vegetation blocking the sunlight. Once it was cleared, they were shocked to discover there was a whole pit of the deadly snakes.

"How is this even possible?" Gohan muttered while Kat whimpered. "Eastern browns live in arid areas. And the only type of forest they gather in is eucalyptus forests."

No one had an answer for him, and if things couldn't get worse, Trunks noticed something in the middle of the large knot. "Hey, I think I see the Dragon Ball," he noted.

"I hate summer," Kat whined.

Gohan called for Nimbus, and once the cloud was in the dome with them, he told everyone to stay on it. "I'll go get the Dragon Ball," he decided.

"But Gohan, what about-"

He interrupted Kat with a smile. "Hey, don't worry about it," he assured. "I've got this. I'm the guy who defeated Cell, after all."

Kat sighed despite herself. "You promised you wouldn't let it get to your head," she pointed out.

"And it hasn't," Gohan replied. "It's just a fact. The point is, I'll get the Dragon Ball no problem. Then we can all head back to the village, tell them about the snake problem, and hang out for a few more days before we move on."

She wouldn't have argued even if she got the chance. Kat just watched as Gohan floated down towards the pile, and once he was a foot above the snakes, he let out a loud shout and a burst of power. The unfamiliar force scared the group away, and that left the Dragon Ball to be easily picked up.

"See!" Gohan shouted to the group, holding up the Four-Star Ball. "Easy as can be!"

"Alright!" Trunks and Lime cheered while Kat exhaled.

Gohan grinned and went to join his friends, but then he felt a prick at his ankle. He looked down see that one of the snakes had returned and bit him. Being Saiyan, though, Gohan wasn't afraid of being affected by the poison. So he simply smiled at the reptile and coaxed it off his ankle, holding it gently by the neck.

"Sorry to disturb you, little guy, I just needed to get this for my friend," he said. "Now, I'm going to the village and making sure you get in your right habi-" The snake hissed harshly and tried to lunge for him. "Whoa, aggressive guy, aren't- Urk!"

Looking at the back of his calf, Gohan saw that yet another snake had bitten him. He still wasn't concerned, but this wasn't going to get him anywhere. The half-Saiyan shook the snake off, but when it was off, two more took its place. Surprised, Gohan dropped the one he had been holding, and it was joined by four others.

"Gohan, get out of there!" Kat ordered as snakes continued to pile on him. "Even you wouldn't be able to handle that many bites!"

Nodding, he blew the snakes away and went to jump into the air. Unfortunately, when the snakes were off him, about twenty more lunged at him. They bit all over his legs and forearms, and Gohan grunted at the constant pricks to his skin. Figuring out a new plan, he flew up and  _then_ got the snakes off him before he returned to the travelers on Nimbus, all of whom were concerned for his safety.

However, Gohan simply grinned and showed them the Ball despite feeling a tingling sensation. "No worries," he told them. "Just a bit of a road bump. I'm surprised we're not used to... Ugh..."

"Gohan?!" all three of them gasped when he held his head.

"It's... It's nothing," Gohan tried to convince them, panting a tad. Then he chuckled lightly. "Must have...used more ki than I thought to push them away. Haha, they're persistent..."

Kat didn't believe him, and she frowned. "Gohan, we may be Saiyans, but I don't think that much venom in your system is a good thing," she noted. "Let's get back to the village right away."

"Yeah, Dr. Anderson can take a look at you, just in case," Lime agreed.

"Guys, it'll pass, don't worry..." Gohan panted lightly.

"You're starting to look pale," Trunks observed.

"Just a...nerve-wracking experience...s'all."

The black haired girl didn't like the way his speech was slurring slightly. "Gohan, we're taking you back to see the doctor," she proclaimed with no room for argument in her voice. The other halfling tried to shake his head, but the act made him groan and wobble in the air, and he looked like he was about to vomit, making the others wince.

What made matters worse, though, was when he tipped, on the verge of plummeting to the ground.

Kat grabbed him and pulled him into her chest. "Nimbus, to Chazke!" Lime yelled.

"Gohan, stay with me!" Kat ordered as the cloud flew. "Keep your eyes open! Breath as regularly as you can! I'll try to keep you as stable as I can, okay?"

He chuckled weakly and smiled at Kat with droopy eyes. "We keep...getting sidetracked...huh?" he choked out. "Sorry... We'll...get...back..."

Then, he fainted.

...

Dr. Anderson hummed as he cleaned his equipment. Another slow day meant good news, since no one was in serious trouble. Of course, it had been like that for the past few years, but while the man liked to help others, he was happier seeing them healthy.

Suddenly, from the room he was in, he heard the door to the lobby fly open. Some of the nurses gasped while footsteps rapidly approached. "Dr. Anderson, Dr. Anderson!" he heard Lime shout.

Thinking it was the girl's usual accident-prone self, he chuckled. "Ah, Lime. Come in for your daily appointment, have you?" the doctor teased.

But she didn't reply with a huff like normal. Instead, she flung the door open and cried, "Please, we really need your help! It's Gohan!"

Alarmed at her desperation, he spun around to find the boy passed out in the arms of the black haired girl, who was crying silently.

"It's Gohan!" the visitor repeated, showing Dr. Anderson her friend's multiple obvious snake bites. "He's been poisoned!"


End file.
